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.