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.