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.