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.