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.