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.