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.