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.