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.