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.