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.