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.