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.