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.