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.