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.