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.