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.