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.