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.