Two Men (Sonnet) Poem by L C Vieira

Two men went out to walk a common road,
Travelers in time in search of what they'd find;
As one did ache beneath his heavy load,
The other treasured mammon in his mind.
Both carried sin, though one he could not bear
The burden's weight; it increased as he walked;
The other did not even know it there -
Too great his thoughts of fame, so sin he mocked.
But then, they stopped - a crossroads both did meet,
Where one's knees failed, and so he fell and cried,
'O Lord, release this heavy load from me! '

Two roads meet here: one narrow, one curved but wide,
One bowed and chose the straight, his load slid down,
The other, sin would wear for swaying ground.

(1981)