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.