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.