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.