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.