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.