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.