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.