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.