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.