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.