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.