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.