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.