By The Torrens River

The tourist cruiser touring up and down Through Torrens river along by Adelaide town Through parklands that the sprinklers have kept green Though where water missed brown patches to be seen. The black swans of these waterways are tame I lay by tree and up to me they came And one of them she nibbled on my feet Till she decided I was not to eat. Even the black ducks too showed little fear I even touched one she had come that near They like the swans expecting chips or bread By human hand they often had been fed. The silver gulls pant in the heat of day From picknickers they are never far away They noise and squabble over scraps of food And to each other they seem very rude. In the cool shade of poplar tree I lay By Adelaide Town on humid Summer day In green parkland by river dark to brown And tourist cruiser cruising up and down.