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.