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.