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.