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.