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.