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.