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.