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.