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.