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.