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.