One Art by Alan Z. '23, MEng '24
variation on a poem of Elizabeth Bishop
The art of being hosed isn’t hard to master;
the tasks (you hope) will teach you something new.
To be busy, then, is hardly a disaster.
Waste hours for fun, while still knowing that after,
one still has just as many things to-do.
The art of being hosed isn’t hard to master.
I’m hosed this week. But looking at my last, or
next-to-last weeks, I was quite hosed too.
I was busy, sure, but it wasn’t a disaster.
Practice working harder, working faster:
psets, labs, and readings each week new.
The art of being hosed isn’t hard to master.
I’m falling behind in this fall semester,
and running hard to try and get back to
less busy, but it’s hardly a disaster.
—And in the end if times are hard, I’ll pass, purge
classes but I shan’t have lied. It’s true
the art of being hosed’s not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.
the original poem can be found here: https://poets.org/poem/one-art.