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.