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.