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.