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.