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.