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.