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.