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.