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.