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.