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.