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.