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.