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.