ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

The Swan and the Bulldog

A swan is very beautiful - there's no denying that.
They look serene and graceful on a waterway that's flat.
With all that snowy plumage, they're a pleasure to the eye,
And if they have a runway long enough, they'll even fly.

A bulldog is an ugly thing - unless it is your friend.
Then, of course, it's faithful and it's loyal to the end.
It has a mighty mandible that locks, and won't release.
It's built to tackle bulls, and makes quick work of ducks and geese...

Which brings us round to swans, of course. In truth, I hate to think
How quickly it could mangle one. Before the eye could blink,
Its neck would be a bloody pulp inside the bulldog's mouth...
A metaphor, no more, no less, for football, north and south.

Stephen Whiteside 29.09.2016

Mmm - prophetic or not? We'll see ...

By jingoes! Who'd have thought it, eh? Those swans can really fight!
They have a bite to - almost - match the fearsome bulldogs' bite.
They flapped their wings, they squawked, and nearly sent us round the bend,
But bulldogs are tenacious and… WE GOT THEM IN THE END!