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.