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.