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.