Nature Valley

A valley lined with golden trees, waving west in the crisp morning breeze,
within the valley, a small pass littered with deep pink flowers,
with spotted black quolls grazing in an overgrown clearing,         
nibbling on beetles and spiders as they watch their young play
Across the valley, lemony puffs lie in rays of light breaking through the canopy,
as soft grey pillows twitch their black noses as they rest in their trees.

But then…
                                                                                                                                             
A barrage of scarlet engulfs the valley, a paradise now a raging battlefield,
crimson flame rummages through the undergrowth,
destroying trees, creating rising clouds of smoke,
Young critters running to their family, lost in the pillars of fire,
All that remains is a field of despair,
A plague creating a haven of death.

All is quiet in the blackened landscape that was the valley,
surviving plants crumble under the silence of the evening winds,
the plague is long gone; the damage has been done,
But wait,
Among the debris, a new leaf sprouts from a fallen tree,
There is hope, despite all odds,
for a new paradise has just begun.