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.