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.