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.