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.