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.