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.