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.