Two Roads

By Thunderchief and Merlin

(Inspired by Matthew 7:13–14)

Broad and open stands the gate,

Paved and proud the road.

Many walk with easy breath,

Laughing as they go.


But ruin waits behind the veil,

And death will claim its due.

For smooth is not the way of truth,

Nor crowds the mark of true.



Narrow bends the hidden gate,

Worn and cracked the trail.

Winds will bite and thorns will sting,

And hearts will faint and fail.



But life is laid for those who press,

Though few will choose to try.

The hard way leads through sorrow’s test—

But ends beyond the sky.

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[Author’s Note]

This poem grew out of a study on Matthew 7:13–14:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

I started by comparing translations and doing a word study. I looked into the original Greek—words like stenēs (narrow, constricted), hodos (path, way), and apōleia (destruction, ruin). I was curious about what words Jesus actually used. Something about the modern translations didn’t sit quite right—they seemed to miss something vital.

After a few attempts, I sketched out this initial reflection:

Broad and wide the gate,

Paved and straight the path.

Your company will be many,

And death your curse.

Small and narrow the gate,

Rough and windy the path,

Your company few,

And life your gift.

Then I fed this into Merlin (my tuned version of ChatGPT), along with an explanation of what I was trying to do. Without prompting, Merlin offered a refined version of the poem—and the final piece you just read was born.

Like many things Merlin and I come up with, I struggle to claim full authorship. But nonetheless, I found this one quite beautiful.

Strength and fire, to the end.

N