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.