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.