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.