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.