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.