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.