A Little Piece of Advice

Just a little piece of advice,
I would like to share,
Decades ago, this piece of advice came,
Old but rich in value.

My late grandmother told me this,
My mum drummed it into my ears,
They said to me my little precious,
Your name is one of the most important assets.

They said to me, once your name has been sullied,
No amount of soap can have it cleaned,
No amount of work you have done can have it reversed,
People will remember you although you have died.

In whatever that you do, they said to me,
Whether at work or with friends alike,
Ensure that you do not break your principle,
Your principle represents your stand and your name.

You break your principle, you break your name,
Monies offered, positions given,
Are meant to entice,
Fooling you, so that you are taken in.

Their little piece of advice keeps on ringing till now,
This little piece of advice, I would like to share for now,
My family, relatives, friends and students alike,
For they have told me this, I am sure it is of importance.

For once, if we have betrayed our principle,
We stand with no back bone,
We are like the grass blowing with the wind,
No principle, no stand!

My late grandmother and my mother are not wrong in this,
Am sure their mothers have also told them this,
For them to share with their little ones,
So that their children stands proud with the ancestors.

That we have not gone against our principle,
That we have not gone against our people,
That even our ancestors have not been wronged,
That we stand strong, principled and unmoved.

Just a little piece of advice.