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.