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.