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.