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.