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.