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.