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.