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.