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.