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.