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.