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.