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.