904 <br /> <br />Had I not This, or This, I said, <br />Appealing to Myself, <br />In moment of prosperity— <br />Inadequate—were Life— <br /> <br />"Thou hast not Me, nor Me"—it said, <br />In Moment of Reverse— <br />"And yet Thou art industrious— <br />No need—hadst Thou—of us"? <br /> <br />My need—was all I had—I said— <br />The need did not reduce— <br />Because the food—exterminate— <br />The hunger—does not cease— <br /> <br />But diligence—is sharper— <br />Proportioned to the Chance— <br />To feed upon the Retrograde— <br />Enfeebles—the Advance—<br /><br />Emily Dickinson<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/had-i-not-this-or-this-i-said/
