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.