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.