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.