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.