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.