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.