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.