The  River  That'S  Our  River  Makes  A 
 Large Bend Like A Scooping  Hand  And  A 
 Decent  Days  Travel   North  From  That 
 Stands  Our  House  In  The  Middle Of A 
 Forgotten  Apple  Orchard. Our House  Is 
 Built Of Dark  Clay  And Abandoned  By A 
 Stranger. The  Window  Has No Glass  But 
 Instead  Steel Bars To Keep  The Animals 
                   Out.                   
                                          
 Around  The  House  Is  A  Thick,  Thick 
 Brush  Of  Ferns And Bushes. There  Live 
 The Animals That We Fight To  Keep Away, 
 For They Speak  To  Us To  Join Them  In 
 The Luscious  Caves  Below Ground.  They 
 Mean No  Harm But It Is Not  In Our Best 
 Interest  To  Do So. There Is  Important 
 Work That  Needs To Be Done, And It Cant 
 Be Done By Animals. (Father  Says This.) 
                                          
 Every  Morning  Our  Father  Clears  The 
 Ferns And  Uproots The  Bushes  Only For 
 Them To  Grow  Back  Each  Night.  Their 
 Leaves Are Teal,  White And Yellow, Some 
 Even The Color Of Wine. They Have  Lilac 
 Flowers And In The Morning They Are  Wet 
                 With Dew.                
                                          
 Father  Is  Away  During  The Day  Doing 
 Important Things  Elsewhere. He Is Weary 
 When  He Returns  Home, Each Day More So 
 Than The  Next. We Learn To Cook For Him 
 So That He Does  Not Have To. We Tend To 
               His Clothes.               
                                          
 Suddenly  The Dense Bushwork Is Mirrored 
 Inside.  Stems  And Leaves Appear  Close 
 To  The Walls And Far From The Light. We 
 Are Glad, For The Flowers  Are Beautiful 
 And  Smell Good,  And  There  Is  Little 
 Decoration   In  Our   House.  But  When 
 Father Comes Home  He Is Angry And  Cuts 
 Them  All  Down  In  A  Frenzy.  We  Are 
           Scared Of Him Then.            
                                          
 We  Are  Then  Tasked With Removing  Any 
 Indoor Plant  We See.  But  They  Are So 
 Beautiful!  We  Wait  Just Until  Father 
 Comes  Home  And  Until  Then  We  Enjoy 
 Them. Sometimes  An Animal Will Sneak In 
 But We Always Shoo Them Out.  With Fresh 
 Cut  Flowers Thrown  Right  Outside  The 
 House  He  Suspects   And  Resents   Our 
 Inaction.   But  He  Doesn'T   Have  The 
 Energy  To Scold Us. He Weakens Quickly. 
 It Is  Not Long Before He Is Still Tired 
 Even   In   The    Morning    And   Must 
    Reluctantly Leave The Outdoor Weed    
 Cutting  To Us  As Well, Untrusting That 
           We Will Carry It Out.          
                                          
 Now He Leaves  As Soon As He'S Awake And 
 Falls Asleep  As Soon As He Returns.  We 
 Are Left  To Care  For  Us And The House 
 And  The Orchard. But It Is Hard  And We 
 Are    Distracted.   We   Are   Not   As 
 Persistent As Father  And  Quickly  Fall 
          Behind In Our Duties.