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.