It is often little more than
a faint whisper, distant, but
nagging, on occasion in the voice
of a parent now long dead.
You can strive to ignore it,
may have momentary success
in that endeavor, but it will
recur when you think that it
has finally been banished.
It is persistent and that, more
than anything, is what makes it
so irritating for you know what
it is saying, a mantra, an earworm
you can only silence by acknowledging
its message, its truth, its value
for once you develop one
a conscience is with you forever.