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.