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.