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.