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.