---
title: "Running Like Idiots"
date: 2023-01-04T18:01:29Z
draft: true
description: "A poem about my experiences as an MIT student"
type: "post"
tags: ["mit", "life", "college", "fun"]
---


```
Running like idiots.
Wasting time. There's nothing wrong with
Having a bit of fun. I feel like I really should be
Doing problem sets. Sometimes, maybe devote some time to
Finally finding a research project. I can't spend all day
At the Boston Science Museum with friends. They want me to try
Sprinting back to our dorm. I told my parents I'm
Studying hard. Instead, I'm here running at night
With a heavy backpack. The point of college isn't just to
Meet new people. I knew I shouldn't have gone with them to the museum
Today. Oh well, it was a great opportunity to
Procrastinate. Suddenly, as I run, my backpack strap snaps, an unlucky day
As I'm soaked in sweat. Yeah, nice way to
Waste time.
```

Now read the lines in reverse order.

A few weeks ago, I visited a contemporary art museum in Boston with the same friends, where we saw a poem with a completely different meaning when read forwards and backwards. I tried it out myself by writing a poem about a real incident, where we sprinted from the Boston Science Museum to our dorm, breaking my backpack strap in the process. The backpack was fine in the end, since I tied the strap into a really cursed knot that somehow held together perfectly. Writing this kind of poem is definitely no trivial feat. It's a bit like the shoelace formula.