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.