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.