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.