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.