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.