Sonnet 30

  • Settled in settling we march to and fro,
  • Between lunch lines, bus stops, RFID cards, ho.
  • This journey, self-fulfilling and somehow not so,
  • Moxie, all the while boxy, squared end on end, playdoh.
  • So we shimmy on weekends, nights, wiggle our toes,
  • Even when it's tipsy outside, code warms our soul,
  • Brandish our wit, harness a triumphant presuppose,
  • Plaster that UIKit, numberOfTouchesRequired, swipe right, woah.
  • Then on the good day, believers fret their frowns,
  • And offer belated shouts, waning bows,
  • Cautious delight, likes, loves, retweets, cowl,
  • Returning to their bedsheets, indifferent, such not-quite wow.
  • All that's left are fractures, bits of stock and pride,
  • And timehops that we at least, at one time, tried.

Notes

This was written on January 7, 2014, shortly after I finished a lengthy contracting stint at Apple Corporate working on their online store. Was my first experience working at a large tech company, with all it's formalities, conveniences, and predictable regularity (in schedule, expectations, and workload).

I was mostly confused after the work day ended (typically at 5:30pm), not knowing what to do with the rest of my time since I've never, in my post-college life, left work that early. Eventually, I got into a rhythm and occupied that free time, but it never felt "right".

This is reminiscent of Sonnet 15 where I last spoke of moving to The Bay to pursue a startup career and the feeling that I'm giving up on some former life. Now, it's more about that struggle to believe in the dream and working towards it regardless of the end result. The pursuit is always the glory, there's never an end and never a reason to stop.

— Huy on