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.