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.