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.