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.