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.