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.