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.