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.