a smear of grey across the sky a warning in the distance an indecipherable alarm and there we stood our mouths agape the deer caught in the headlights our minds adrift and far from harm smoke on the horizon can the flames be far behind we run for cover but its too late we are engulfed we are the smoke on the horizon nothing ventured nothing lost we paid the price but at what cost we sold our future to the past accept a necessary doom too easily and way too soon ignore the wisdom we amassed smoke on the horizon can the flames be far behind we run for cover but its too late we are engulfed we are the smoke on the horizon a smudge of ash across the ground an undelivered message all that remains is memory a gust of wind across the plains carries away the remnants into forgotten history