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.