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.