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.