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.