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.