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.