Two houses stood at a fork in the road,

One humble, one radiant, their stories untold.

To the right, a small gate, a house so austere,

Wisdom’s abode, offering insight and cheer

With honesty and grace , Wisdom extended her hand,

“Come, seekers of knowledge, and understand.

Within my walls, wisdom awaits,

Though the path will be challenging through this narrow gate”

But on the left, Folly, alluring and beguiling,

From within her house laughter and music rising,

She enticed with a seductive voice so sweet,

Let go and live in the moment’s heat.”

Though I warned my companions, they heeded not,

Into Folly’s house, their souls were caught,

Blinded by pleasures, they knew not the cost,

Down a treacherous path, their dreams were lost.

Yet I decided on the narrow way,

Where Wisdom beckoned, where truth held sway,

Within her walls, my spirit found nurture,

Salvation and Grace secured my future.

As time unfolded, consequences unveiled,

Folly’s followers, in despair, wailed,

Their souls consumed by regret and strife,

For they chose the path of death, not life.

But I, in Wisdom’s dwelling, flourished and grew,

A life of purpose and fulfillment I knew,

At the fork in the road, I posted a sign, 

and mounted a beacon and set it to shine. 

“Enter through the gate that’s small, 

For wide is the gate that beckons all, 

That tempting road is broad and vast, 

But destruction awaits for those who pass.

Yet small is the gate, so hard to see, 

That leads to the path that sets hearts free, 

Narrow and winding, it serves but few, 

To a life abundant, sure and true.”

End Notes: My intention when composing this was to use some higher order thinking strategies to more deeply internalize my Bible readings. I decided to apply Costa’s Levels of Questioning such as I do as a teacher. For Level 1: Gathering, I highlighted verses and wrote some notes on Proverbs Chapter 9, my focus text for the day. That covered observation, identifying, and rewriting. For Level 2: Processing, I compared and contrasted Proverbs 9 with Matthew 7 because the choice between Wisdom and Folly reminded me of the Wide and Narrow Gates. And for Costa’s Level 3 :Applying, I attempted to reimagine and blend the two together and to write a piece in the style of Robert Frost’s “The Road Less Traveled”. Draft one was painful to read, but with my 5th draft, I began to like it. This learning process certainly deepened my understanding.