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.