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.