The Wise Man And The Fool Poem by Denice Woods

A wise man builds his home
Carefully choosing his cornerstone
Ensuring that the home's foundation is strong
A fool builds his home
Haphazardly places his cornerstone
And puts around it a makeshift foundation
Bound together by not bricks,
But mud and sticks,
Pomp and circumstance.
Appealing to the eye from a distance.
Look closely
And it will be apparent that this man
Destroyed his home
All on his own
Yet blaming everyone he has inside.
The wise man, his home and everyone in it
Beams with the fruits of his labor
The proof of love and care.
The fool only cares for himself
Therefore
He is barely there
To tend to his home or those inside
He is in love with himself,
A slave to his own greed
A product of arrogance and pride.
The cornerstone erodes
And the house crumbles around him.
The wise man doesn't even bat an eye
He's seen this too many times
So he knows what NOT to do
And his home and those inside remain in tact
The fool took everything for granted
Betraying himself
Stabbing loved ones in the back
As she starts to pack
She reminds herself
That before she leaves she must wipe
off the dust
The dust of false truths
The dust of deception
She was the fool's cornerstone
She kept his house together
Until he destroyed it himself
Thinking the grass was greener,
Perhaps the cornerstones were stronger
Somewhere else.
The wise man looks at his cornerstone
Feeling blessed.
Thanking her for being so strong
Asking for forgiveness for all the times
He thought he was wrong
A wise man tends to his home
But the streets
A fool shall roam.