At Peril Poem by Gert Strydom

At Peril



I The great deluge

A time came that the minds of men did only evil breed
and only a small handful did God’s commandments heed
and the rebellious angel Lucifer was at his prime
while he inspired men to greater evil time after time

and God could use the elements, or lightning, fire or rain
to turn men back to Him again
could catapult fiery stones of hail,
slingshot lightning bolts that would not fail

but He never did force anyone,
did from their heart any wish remove
and suddenly all righteous men but almost one
who did trust, did believe and did love
was from the great world gone

while the evil dragon, serpent, snake
led most men to in the vilest things to partake
to have religious orgies, to sacrifice their children
to honor him and above all God to forsake

when in the hearts of men rebellion,
murder and every animal urge was awake
when their hands were with blood vermilion
and they burned to possess and with force to take
the livelihood from those who stayed to God true and good
and even their very last bit of food.

From reptiles they built war machine upon war machine
and nothing was as it had been
while they exalted themselves to living gods
and they became more evil than through eon’s holy angels had seen

and day and night
the deeds, the acts the words of men upon the earth
was in God’s sight
and He was sorry that He granted them birth
while every vile and evil thing was right in His face
across the barriers, the vast abyss of space

and God instructed his servant Noah to build an ark,
to in a great time of trouble during a deluge to embark
on sailing with the reverent few on waters as high
as the highest peaks that were almost touching the sky

and at the right time into that great ark’s hold
all kinds of wild animals by their own volition came
while the mystery of God’s protection and love did unfold
and thunderbolts did put the world aflame

while the molten fire beneath the earth
blasted into the sky from its girth,
and cities, buildings, mountains where turned around
while in huge earthquakes everything went underground

and from the sky poured floods of rain
while from the vaults of the earth some more water flowed
while huge waves lashed at the ark’s hold again and again
and the sky that was thunder lashed as if aflame glowed

while Noah prayed and prayed with his mortal hands at the wheel
of that great jumping, shuddering, swaying ship
with its almost indestructible ironwood keel
at times dead animals, the bodies of men past would slip

and for forty days and nights the sky the whole world was dim
while he was glad that God and His angels were protecting him
while all of the elements did roar as if God Himself was at war
and cleaning the entire world from what it had been before.

As a tremendous tide of water did all evil men devour,
and the elements did angrily rage
even Lucifer feared that it was his last hour
and the end of the rebellious war that he did wage

but God did His promises to Noah keep
and saved him and his family from the eternal deep.


II Fire from the sky on Sodom and Gomorra

They were proud of their most evil deeds
while things like rape in their hearts did leave small seeds
and the rainbow that did come again and again
promised that God will not destroy with a deluge or rain

and when holy angels as men came to the city’s gate
the sons and men could not wait
on the holy ones to use sodomy, to rape
and they cornered them with no escape.

Although they were struck with blindness
they did remain evil and were almost mindless
while with anger they did roar,
did become more wicked than before
and laughed while they did
the wrath of God implore

and did provoke and challenge Him,
until the light of day did go dim
and far away Abraham did pray
for God’s omnipotent hand to stay

but in Sodom and Gomorra
the people did continually their wicked games play
while Lot was but a pariah
and the people did the vilest things night and day

and from the sky God did his fire and brimstone pour
as a tide of fire that did evil men devour,
with a brightness that was like a falling sun
and even Lucifer feared that it was his last hour

when Lot and his daughters were left alone
while two large cities was turned to molten stone
and in great haste away Lot fled
while the most wicked people were gone

and still the sins of man goes on and on
till the dawning of the sun on the last horizon.

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Gert Strydom

Gert Strydom

Johannesburg, South Africa
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