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.