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.