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.