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.