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.