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.