Malgre Soi Poem by Adeline Foster

~ Malgre Soi

One footstep on a mountain
Leaves a footprint on the land,
And never more is the mountain
Untrod by any man.
One small mark on a paper
Will mar the surface bare;
Erase it, yet an imprint
Always will be there.
One small lie makes a liar-
One small theft, a thief:
Many years of dire regret
Or many years of grief
Will not undo a single word
Or turn back the hands of time,
Though the imprint on the conscience
A lifetime may outshine.


*Malgré Soi: (fr) in spite of oneself, compulsive