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.