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.