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.