He stood at the crossroads all alone,
The sunlight in his face;
He had no thought for an evil course,
He was set for a manly race.
But the road stretched east and the
road stretched west,
And he did not know which road
was the best;
So he took the wrong road and it lead
him down,
And he lost the race and the
victor's crown.
He was caught at last in an
angry snare
Because no one stood at the
crossroads there
To show him the better road.
Another day at the self-same place
A boy with high hopes stood;
He, too, was set for a manly race
He was seeking the things that
were good.
And one was there who the roads
did know,
And that one showed him the
way to go;
So he turned away from the road
leading down,
And he won the race and the
victor's crown;
He walks today on the highways fair
Because one stood at the
crossroads there
To show him a better road.
-Sadie Tiller Crawley
