Smoke on the Water

Smoke on the water: there's fire in the sky
Deep Purple used to sing these words by & by
Driving through Chain of Ponds the other day
Reservoirs full of water but still there was a bushfire
I was dismayed to see that grey smoke of burning trees
As smoke rose up to meet that sullen grey sky
The pine trees have been cut down: a different picture
Still resides in my mind's eye: of huge tall trees once upon a time
New vegetation is growing; trees planted here & there
I can see the river winding down below
Where I couldn't see before: hidden by those trees
The world is changing: sometimes for the best
I guess it will carry on changing even after we are gone
For though we are a fragile human race: we will surely die
All around us life goes on unceasingly as if we didn't even exist!