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.