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.