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.