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.