Oh, it was so long ago
Written as history or perhaps lore.
Yet somehow, some four thousand years later,
The lesson is still taught to the young by the old.
The sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah,
Where angels sent by God
Found the human condition so deplorable,
That the angry Father in Heaven lifting his rod
Turned to ashes the sinful cities that were home to Lot.
Lot and his wife were the exception to the rule,
For they had compassion, good people are true;
Were allowed to flee the impending doom.
However, there was a condition they needed to respect:
Should they look back, they would not live to regret.
Into the desert Lot and his wife did run
Away from the cities that were burning like the sun.
Perhaps the screams were more than she could bear,
Filled with curiosity, she turned to look there.
Misery for Lot, but he was not at fault.
God instantly turned her into a white pillar of salt.
R. Olaf Erich is a German-born American poet residing in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with his furry family, Shadow and Skylar. He has had over 65 individual poems published in magazines, anthologies, and online magazines.
