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.