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.