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.