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.