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.