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.