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.