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.