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.