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.