by Caitlin Ross

Riding down the river brown,
With feathers in my head,
Wearing sunshine like a crown,
Fish dart through the riverbed.

With feathers in my head,
With the wind against my back,
Fish dart through the riverbed,
We advance down this new track.

With the wind against my back,
Our paddles flush to sand,
We advance down this new track,
Trace the surface with our hands.

Our paddles flush to sand,
The river acts as a divide,
Trace the surface with our hands,
Charred or green on either side.

The river acts as a divide,
All the rest have gone ahead,
Charred or green on either side,
Not one word need be unsaid.

All the rest have gone ahead,
Sit, admire nature’s pride,
Not one word needs be unsaid,
Hear the kookaburra cry.

Sit, admire nature’s pride,
We drift balmy to the bay,
Hear the kookaburra cry,
See the willie wagtails play.

We drift balmy to the bay,
We pull up to the shore,
See the willy wagtails play,
Above the lories soar.

We pull up to the shore,
Reach our arms into the sands,
Above the lories soar,
Gather yabbies in our hands.

Reach our arms into the sands,
As the sun beats on our necks,
Gather yabbies in our hands,
Wonder where to travel next.

As the sun beats on our necks,
Loud laughs turn to quiet smiles,
Wonder where to travel next,
We’ve been here for quite a while.

Loud laughs turn to quiet smiles,
Together we’re alone,
We’ve been here for quite a while,
Hope we’re headed home.

Together we’re alone,
Head back down the river brown,
Sad but glad we’re headed home,
As we flaunt our sunburn like a crown.

Glossary:

“Charred or green on either side”: A reference to the river acting as a barrier against bushfires, with fire ravaging one side of the river but being unable to reach the opposite side

Willie Wagtails: A type of small black and white bird

Lorie: Short for Rainbow Lorikeet, a type of brightly coloured parrot

Yabby: A small blue freshwater crayfish