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.