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.