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.