One would think
By the time one reaches one’s seventies
One would have learned
That succumbing to the temptation of procrastination
Ultimately leads only to vexation
Learned that
The time between now
And when it gets done,
If it even gets done,
Will inevitably
Be haunted
By the specter of the undone,
As many days, weeks and months
Have been haunted
Over these many months, years and decades.
Hence, one would think,
One would have learned
To do it
Now.
Mitchell Stephens, one of the editors of this site, is a professor emeritus of Journalism at New York University, and is the author or co-author of nine books, including the rise of the image the fall of the word, A History of News, Imagine There’s No Heaven: How Atheism Helped Create the Modern World, Beyond News: The Future of Journalism, and The Voice of America: Lowell Thomas and the Invention of 20th Century Journalism. He lives in New York and spends a lot of time traveling and fiddling with video.
