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.