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.