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.