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.