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.