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.