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.