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.