Opportunity
Procrastination is not only the thief of time; it is also the grave of opportunity.
In an old city by the storied shores
Where the bright summit of Olympus soars,
A cryptic statue mounted towards the light—
Heel-winged, tip-toed, and poised for instant flight.
“O statue, tell your name,” a traveler cried,
And solemnly the marble lips replied:
“Men call me Opportunity: I lift
My winged feet from earth to show how swift
My flight, how short my stay—
How Fate is ever waiting on the way.”
“But why that tossing ringlet on your brow?”
“That men may seize me any moment: Now,
NOW is my other name: to-day my date:
O traveler, to-morrow is too late!”
Edwin Markham.
From “The Gates of Paradise, and Other Poems.”