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.