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.