Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

Hey there, my friend! You are the best,
life will work out for you.
There may strife or some unrest,
there may be endless queues.
There may be mountains yet to climb
there may be seas to sail.
But know this - at the end of time,
you'll blaze a happy trail.

Just hang in there my cutie,
'cause truth is stranger than fiction.
For life is not a movie
and there can be no prediction.
Your wildest dreams may yet come true
your hopes may yet be dashed.
Don't let failure defeat you,
just be strong and unabashed.

Let's face each problem with a smile
and let each worry go.
This journey of a million miles
is how you get to grow.
To grow into a better self
by acing every test.
You're going to win life itself,
because YOU ARE THE BEST!

Woohoo! That’s it. Thanks for reading edition 269 of Hello Universe.

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That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

Back in another place, another time, it was my job to help people get a home. It is, as my manager at the time used to say, the second most meaningful decision a person has to take (the first being selecting a partner for life). Each person I saw make this decision told me that they went on to have their own unique experience. Moving out of a place and moving into a new one.

The observations accumulated from these experiences, both mine and of others, are presented in today’s poem.

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

A place of rest and respite true.
A place where all my stuff fits too?
A place where I can think my thoughts,
which can be one of my life's dots.

Which can be some place I can chill,
and stare out of its windowsill.
A place where I can feel my heart,
where I can make all of my art.

What do I mean when I say home?
What is that place? What is that zone?
What is the subject of my search?
Am I a bird? Is it my perch?

Am I a thing? Is it my drawer?
Am I a heart? Is it my lover?
Am I a voice? Is it my song?
Why need a place where to belong?

I think about these thoughts a while
with all my boxes in a pile.
Drink some water, heave a sigh.
Find a seat that's nearby.

Left and up and west and south 
I look around and figure out.
After I've had some time to roam
where I come back? That place is home.

That’s it. Thanks for reading edition 268 of Hello Universe. I hope you found home somewhere within it.

If you want to talk about what home means to you, I would encourage you to share your thoughts in the comments!

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On the way out, here’s a classic.

Ten years since this album dropped. I like the music.

That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

The upcoming year does not look like anything I have lived before. Till now I had some sense of grounding and certainty in a familiar universe, but starting now, things are going to be quite different. And in this year, as I learn to adapt to a new environment, a new reality, I have often been left wondering, what do I do with the voice inside my head? How much do I listen to my instincts and the ways in which they challenge me or encourage me?

There are so many lessons I have learned that have left a deep impression on me. There were also life outcomes which were not to my liking, and for those I have often had honest conversations with myself and taken the right lessons, but many for which I have even taken wrong lessons. Over time, these lessons have hardened into things that the voice inside my head keeps repeating to me. I don’t know if it always frames things correctly though.

In this upcoming year, I want to spend some time understanding these instincts. And that’s what today’s poem is about.

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

There's a voice that's always on.
That speaks for long and sings some songs.
It talks about the good, the bad,
what you could have, what you have had.

It says the things you always hear,
it shrieks your joys and screams your fears.
It whispers out what's scaring you
it guides the things you always do.

It warns you when there's danger close
sometimes, yes, even when you doze.
It bolsters up your ego vast.
It tells you all the spells to cast.

It holds you back and shuts your tongue.
It's always there, whether you're old or young.
It's on your plate, it's in your cup.
It's built through years of growing up.

It pushes you through moments hard.
It tells you when you hold the cards.
It wins with you, it loses too.
It's done what you've done. It'll do what you'll do.

This voice, it sits inside your head,
it is your life's longest thread.
And yet, I find once these thoughts are all said,
I don't know quite well the voice inside my head.

When it asks me questions, have I questioned back?
When it comes to speak, have I offered it a snack?
Are there things it says that I always believe?
Or shrugged it away thinking that it deceives?

I don't think we've really been introduced yet.
We're not yet in sync, yes, that would be my bet.
So maybe, I'll try spend some time with that voice.
and learn to differentiate its signal and noise.

And learn to communicate and understand.
To do things together, in sync, hand in hand.
To question me well when I'm not doing right,
and give wind to my wings when it's time for the flight.

That’s it! Thank you for reading edition 267 of Hello Universe.

I’ll also miss my mother a lot tomorrow. I think she would have liked reading this pre-birthday poem.

Here’s a nice track for you on the way out:

That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

Today's poem is one for that friend in memory of this special day!

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

A life so happy, and so full.
A life of many joys.
A life so fine, a life so cool.
A life that one enjoys.

A life that's warm, and fuzzy, yes.
A life that feels so swell.
A life of spreading happiness.
A life that's spent so well.

A life that's grateful to no end.
A life that has no fears.
I wish for you my lovely friend,
a life of many years! 😀🥳

That's it! Thanks for reading edition 266 of Hello Universe.

Next time we meet, I'll be just 1 day away from my own birthday. Exciting times!

Here's one of my favourite tracks on the way out.

That's it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

I have been reflecting on the most important lessons I have learned in this first phase of my transformation. One of them was that instead of always fighting with time and feeling overwhelmed by it, I should learn to be friends with it.

Today’s poem was one I wrote when I had that realization for the first time. So now that I am about to end school, I wanted to reshare this poem as the most important lesson I learned from coming back to school.

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

It feels like sometimes I'm all over the place 
finding my tempo, finding my pace.
Twisting the dials, turning the knobs,
making myself do the oddest of jobs.
Dipping my toes in the grandness of chance,
learning the rhythm and dancing the dance.
Feeling the vibe and building the hype
trying to figure out what is my type.

It feels like sometimes I'm all over the place,
probabilities in an infinite space,
seeking new data, numbers, and words,
building in my head some colorful worlds.
Holding the weight of adventures so new.
Running away from the sparse and the few.
Chasing a whimsical bouncy red ball.
Maybe not knowing the point of it all.

So what do I feel when I look at my face?
While feeling like sometimes all over the place?
And what do I think when I'm doing these things?
How far along am I spreading my wings?
Is there a reason for making it so?
Is there an outcome I chase as I go?
What is the point really of all this work?
Is there a benefit? Is there a perk?

Umm, probably. I don't know? What can I say?
It's like you're asking me why night is not day.
Why planets go round and why water makes sound,
why things can be lost and then sometimes be found.
It's nature, you know? It's the embedded script.
Reality's ocean is meant to be sipped.
For what it contains is a treasure so rich,
so I end up going for all that I wish.

From lunches to dinners, and nights with full moons,
I'm surfing the waves and I'm surfing the dunes.
The reason I go on these far-reaching jaunts
is - by nature, curiosity is my default.
I'm curious to find out the limits I'd break.
I'm curious to know how to swim in a lake.
I'm curious how I look when I am about,
and curious about the things I've lived without.

By nature, curiosity is my default,
I want to know this world and all of its thoughts.
I want to know how people go 'bout their days,
'cause all of this input helps shape me my ways.
You're right though, there's difference in structure and play,
in living with purpose versus disarray.
The question that you really ask with this rhyme
is - how am I using my limited time?

Yes how am I using my limited time though,
as days and weeks and months come and go?
Is time* not the enemy? Passing me by?
(*finite in character, knows how to fly)
Or is there a link that is missing somehow,
that I cannot see in the moment of now?
Is time* just an enemy? Could it be more?
could it take another role in my life's lore?

Could it be *a weapon when used with resolve?
*A tool with which life's own equation gets solved?
*A series of boxes in which I can plan,
the things that I might and the things that I can?
If that is what time is, and it could be true,
I could use its power for things that I do.
Creating a future that I'd like to live,
inspired by gifts that the world likes to give.

By nature, curiousity is my default,
but instead of thinking - oh time has me caught!
I'll learn how to use it, to wield its true power,
and learn what's the meaning of minutes, of hours.

Spontaneity, whimsy, discovery will live,
but sometimes, I'll pass them through time's finest sieve,
and hopefully someday, I'll wake up and find,
that I've made a new friend, and its name is Time.

That’s it! Thanks for reading edition 265 of Hello Universe.

Wish me luck as I graduate and move on to the next stage of my transformation!

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On the way out, here’s a video from one of my favorite Youtube channels exploring the formation of black holes.

That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

You got this now, you got this now,
you have the field, you have the plough.
You have the seeds, you have the rain,
you got this now, forget the pain.

You have the will, you have the worth,
you're destined for this since your birth.
You have the push, you have the heart,
you got this now, go on, just start.

Your destiny is what you'll meet,
you'll have the world right at your feet.
You have the strength, you have the power,
you got this now, this is your hour.

So never stop, and never stop,
throughout the way, right to the top.
You know the what, you know the how,
you got this now, you got this now.

That’s it! Thanks for reading edition 264 of Hello Universe.

I wrote today’s poem to keep myself motivated as I push myself to go farther than I ever have before. I hope it motivates you too, dear reader!

I’m curious to know - how do you keep yourself motivated?

Share your thoughts with the Hello Universe community in the comments below.

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On the way out, here is a fantastic video on the history of cities by Historia Civilis, one of my top 3 YT channels.

That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

Well, as regular readers know, I often struggle to make choices, and this applies to choosing a single favorite poem. So instead of one favorite, I have many, and one of them is this excerpt about moths and the flame from the english translation of the legendary sufi poem “Conference of the Birds” by the 12th century poet Fariduddin Attar of Nishapur.

While any description I can provide for Conference of the Birds is insufficient, here is a fantastic video covering both Attar’s life and his poem.

In my favorite part, the excerpt about the moths and the flame, Attar brings to life the Sufi concept of “fanaa”, of dissolving oneself into a pursuit, as illustrated by the moth who dissolves away in the flame.

One may look at the flame from a distance and try to describe how it feels, but the true understanding of the flame’s brightness only comes to the moth who itself burns in it. This poem speaks to me at a deep, fundamental level, as I have embarked on a pursuit of my own in which I seek to dissolve myself. And the poem I have written today, is my homage to it, written from the perspective of the moth who burns in the flame.

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

I saw the flame, I saw the light,
I've jumped in, now I'm burning bright.
The flame, it was once in my sight.
Now I am it, I'm burning bright.

Nowhere to run, nowhere to fly.
This is my earth, this is my sky.
There is no me, there is no I.
No words, no why, no thoughts, no sigh.

I burn away, I am the flame.
The shining light's what I became.
I don't exist, I have no name.
The flame and me, we are the same.

There is no time here as I burn,
no going back, there's no return.
There is no more for which I yearn,
for this is it, I'm bright, I burn.

That’s it! Thanks for reading edition 263 of Hello Universe. I wrote this poem because to some extent, I feel like the moth who jumped into the flame, and I wanted to capture the feeling of being one with the light as I go through it. The poem feels a bit incomplete, it has no resolution, but it is impossible for me to think of a resolution today as I go through the experience. Maybe someday, once I know enough, I will write what it is like to be on the other side of the light.

Have you ever immersed yourself so deep into a pursuit that you became one with it? I am curious to know! Please share your thoughts in the comments with the Hello Universe community.

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That’s it for this week, wish me luck as I go through this journey of immersion. See you next Tuesday!

Today’s poem is about that feeling.

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

Sit next to the bridge or go sit on a cloud,
the Sun is out, the Sun is out!
Make all the hay you can as it shines about,
the Sun is out, the Sun is out!

It's yellow and warm and it's made of pure joy,
it's charging me up like a battery toy.
Right above the horizon when you look south,
the Sun is out, the Sun is out!

The world is out strolling and making new plans,
they're out in their groups and they're out in their clans.
They're all having so much fun, have no doubt,
the Sun is out, the Sun is out!

Throw out all the worries, throw out all the pains,
go fill up the streets and go fill up the lanes.
Hear all the birds cooing and cawing so loud,
the Sun is out, the Sun is out!

That’s it! Thanks for reading edition 262 of Hello Universe.

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Here’s some new Blockhead music for you on the way out.

That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

No dancing, it was a celebration of just being in a room and doing absurd things together, which today took the shape of absurd product pitches created on the spot and curated by our gracious host Taya (who also has excellent taste in music). I had a good time in the party and wanted to capture how I felt in it. On the way back from the party, I started writing it down. So that's what today's poem is about.

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

I meet someone.
I call them "friend".
I feel there's no need to pretend.

I spar with them.
I write things down.
The room is filled with laughter's sound.

I speak a joke.
I play a game.
No second moment is the same.

As time goes by
I see myself.
I learn to listen and ask for help.

I slowly
settle into it.
The feel, the vibe, I intuit.

They see me too
those in the room.
Together through this world we zoom.

They call me "friend"
the feeling's right.
And this was how it was tonight.

That's it! Thanks for reading edition 261 of Hello Universe. And thank you for your best wishes last week as I completed five years of writing to you every Tuesday.

What's a nice party you've been to recently? Share your memories with the Hello Universe community in the comments!

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On the way out, here's an old repeat track on my playlist which I recently rediscovered after almost two years.

That's it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

Sometimes I have a concept that I have been thinking about for a long time. Sometimes I start thinking about a concept while I start writing it. Sometimes I have a draft I have churned and reworked several times. Sometimes I just push out a perfect first draft.

This irregular process helps me publish a poem every Tuesday. I have now been doing this for five years. It feels unreal to even write that statement, but, thanks to you dear reader, it is true now. And that’s what today’s poem celebrates!

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

Half a decade, gone so quick,
half a decade, done, that's it!
Half a decade, that's the time,
I've written to you all these rhymes!

For every poem, every post,
each week I've been your humble host.
Each week, I've come to say hello,
through periods high and periods low.

I've learned the worth of showing up,
of making my own special club.
With people who explore the world,
and actively build their self-worth.

It's you, my friend, it's you I thank!
Your inbox is my home, my bank!
Reaching you is just the gift,
for which I've really truly wished.

Each Tuesday you have found me back.
Each Tuesday you have had my back.
Each Tuesday, that's the discipline,
that's brought us here, five years in.

Five years together, more to come,
there's so much more yet to be done!
There's so much more yet to be said!
There's so much fun yet to be had!

As time goes by, as weeks fly by,
I'll make attempts, yes I will try,
each week I hope you'll see this sight,
I'll sit. I'll think. I'll think. I'll write.

That’s it! Thank you for reading edition 260 of Hello Universe.

FIVE YEARS OMGGG!

Thank you for being there, dear reader. Here is the Hello Universe playlist to party to.

That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

To honor her memory, I am writing today’s poem based on a deep belief that she instilled within me. She always taught me to see the world as a positive-sum game. She said that if you see the pie as fixed, you will never have enough and will be busy stealing parts of it from others. But if you see the pie as growing, and collaborate with others instead of competing with them, you will create joy for everyone.

Today’s poem is in memory of that lesson.

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

You versus me when the dishes aren't done. 

You versus me when there's only one bun. 

You versus me with my arms tightly crossed. 

You versus me and we've both somehow lost.



Because that's the thing about you versus me, 

nobody wins. Can you see what I see?

We're so busy pointing and keeping the score, 

we forget what we even were fighting here for.



But us versus the problem? Yes that is new. 

Us together, yes both of us working it through. 

Us with our sleeves up, yes us making a plan, 

us saying, "I'll help you however I can."



Us versus the problem, the real one, out there. 

Not you in your corner or me in my chair. 

But us, looking at it, together, right here, 

and saying, "Ok. How do we make this clear?"



I think of the families who got through hard days. 

by working together and finding new ways 

to stretch what they had, pass it down through the line,

without saying "that's yours and this here is mine!"



I think too of history, empires big and bold, 

some fought and they hoarded, their grain was their gold.

Without fail they vanished. They crumbled all the same. 

'Cause scarcity's a lonely game where everyone's to blame.



But those who shared? The ones who said, 

"come sit, there's room for you"? 

They're still around. Their children's children 

somehow made it through.


The pie was never fixed, you see. 

It never was that small. 

It's only small when people think 

there's not enough for all.



Put two stubborn people

on the same side of the table, 

and watch them bake a bigger pie 

than either thought they're able.


The thing about the pie is that 

it grows when people do. 

It grows with every hand that says, 

"I want to grow with you."



So next time you feel that familiar itch,

to point at the other and dig a small ditch, 

Remember to say this line, simple and true

"The best things get built when I'm building with you."

That’s it! Thanks for reading edition 259 of Hello Universe.

It’s coming next week dear reader. Edition 260. We complete half a decade of this thing. I can’t believe it.

I’m curious to know, have you always been a “you vs. me” person or an “us vs. the problem” person? Do you see the size of the pie as fixed or do you see the pie as something that can grow if people work together?

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While I was raised with this mindset and it is now intrinsic to my worldview, I find it hard sometimes to survive in a world that doesn’t see things the same way. Today’s poem is thus a reminder for my (and your) future self to stay fully grounded into this mindset.

On the way out, I found this old video that I made 13 years (!) ago using After Effects. I once used to design motion graphics too. It’s from back in the time when making content on Facebook was cool, haha!

I was very happy how well-synchronized the music and the visuals turned out to be in this video. My past self had good taste in design, I’m proud of him.

That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

Step by step
she makes her way
up to the top, up high.
Bit by bit,
she charts her path,
to where successes lie.

Slowly, surely,
on she goes.
The path is rough and wound.
She goes through roads
and rugged woods,
and thus her path is found.

The path is long.
The path is tough.
The path will drain her out.
But she will reach
right to the top
'cause that's what she's about. 

That’s it! Thank you for reading edition 258 of Hello Universe.

Is there a person in your life who you look up to like this?

Tell the Hello Universe community about them in the comments.

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On the way out, here is a fun song from my heritage that has been a part of my entire childhood and that I still enjoy listening to. You may not get the lyrics but the music is sure to set you dancing. Enjoy!

That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

Often when dealing with these challenges, problems, and troubles, we feel that it would be so easy to just give up. To just let the world go on as we step away from the madness of it all. To let reality shape us rather than engage in the tiresome act of shaping reality.

I shared today’s poem once when I was dealing with such feelings. By sharing it again today, I hope it helps you find the energy and motivation to persist.

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

The simple path some walkers take, 
does not the mind or spirit make.
As velvet cannot hone the blade,
in comfort, progress is not made.

True arrows need friction to fly,
in storms the skillful sailors ply,
"Behold," the wise among us cry,
"gold must melt to be purified."

Unused, a vessel quickly rusts,
the wind-blown tree will prove robust.
Canyons don't come from waters calm,
harvests are picked by rugged palms.

The steadfast scale the mountain's face, 
even kings must earn their rightful place!
In rest, achievement comes, but slow,
in hardship's soil, success does grow.

Seek not the path of least travail,
embrace the rigours of your trail.
Yes, progress needs friction and strain,
PERSIST! And growth you will attain.

That’s it. Thanks for reading edition 257 of Hello Universe.

I’m curious to know dear reader, how are you? Is life feeling good? Do you feel happy and excited for your future? Do you feel the opposite? It would be nice to hear from you.

Consider sharing your thoughts in the comments below.

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On the way out, here’s a look at someone from my current city who visited the city I used to live in.

Alright, that’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday.

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

I hope that I feel good 
I hope that I feel true.
I hope to feel happy
with things I get to do.

I hope that I don't act 
as selfish as I'm prone.
I hope to see the good
in everyone I've known.

I hope that life does get
more bright and trouble-free.
With kindness and compassion,
the way it's meant to be.

I hope to sing this song,
with a gentle, happy smile.
I hope to get along,
and walk the extra mile.

For though the road is long,
each little step we take,
of progress, hope and faith
will ripples large yet make.

So don't despair, my friend,
let go of all your dread.
Have heart right to the end,
the best is yet ahead!

That’s it! Thanks for reading edition 256 of Hello Universe.

I’m curious to know, what are you hoping for and looking forward to?

Share your thoughts in the comments below with the Hello Universe community.

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I’ve started listening to Romare a lot again, so I’m signing off with a track by him.

That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

Those were simpler times, when all that the large language model could do was wear a bow tie and be a helpful conversational assistant. It was possible to see how its writing didn’t contain meaning or depth to the same level as a human writer’s writing might. But that was more than three years ago and the world has changed a lot since then.

Today if someone were to scrape some poems off of Hello Universe and compile them into one file and unleash a series of agents - one who is an accomplished literature professor who creates a detailed description of my writing style with examples after reading my current work, one who is a distinguished ghost writer who specializes in writing in an accomplished author’s style as a replacement, and one who is a tasteful editor at a large publication, you could make them work together to easily churn out poems that sound exactly like or better than my work. Agents are not just talkers, they can act on your behalf, they can plan ahead, and they can hand things off to each other.

In fact, let me do that right now. Let me go to Claude Cowork with a sample of some of my poems and set off three agents to do exactly this and write a poem. Agent time!

My own poem on the topic is written already and sits in my notes. I am now pasting it below. Once I have done that, I am going to go start Claude Cowork. The prompt will be to write a poem on “Agents”. Let’s see what it comes up with.

Alright, poems start in 3… 2… 1!

Poem 1: by Punit Thakkar 👨🏻

Agent 1 and Agent 2,
we'll make ourselves an agent new.
An agent that can solve some maths.
and one that straightens up my drafts.

Let's make an agent that can cook,
and one that can read me a book.
An agent too to wash my clothes,
and an agent that can compose.

An agent for the tiny tasks,
an agent for the mighty asks,
an agent that can do it all,
an agent that can take my calls.

An agent yes, for everything,
an agent queen, an agent king.
Yes agents, now, for all that's true,
But then, I think, what will I do?

What will I do with my free time?
Will I do well, or flirt with crimes?
Will I be harmful, wrong, and bad?
Or will my presence make you glad?

What will I choose when all is done,
when all the yarn is fully spun?
When there are no more tasks for me?
What will I do, who will I be?

If I'll be bad (it could be true),
what will my agents learn to do?
If I'll be rude, lazy, unfair,
will they too learn to just not care.

If I am not in full control,
of my own self and my own goals,
while also having love and grace,
knowing that life is not a race.

If I keep trying brand new things,
pushing myself to spread my wings,
while also knowing when to stop,
and knowing when my work is slop.

Then agents that are made by me,
will also have this way to see.
They'll also make a better world,
so keep in mind these golden words:

"Agent 1 and Agent 2,
let's make ourselves an agent new.
We'll try, we'll grow, we'll fall, we'll rise,
we'll teach our agents to be wise."

Poem 2 - by agents on Claude Cowork 🤖

Prompt: See end of post

Poem:

Do you know that feeling when something just works?
When invisible hands pull invisible quirks?
When the email gets sorted, the calendar planned,
and something out there seems to understand?

There are agents now, living inside of our screens,
little helpers that work behind digital scenes.
They don't ask for credit, they don't need a break,
they just keep on going for efficiency's sake.

They read what you wrote and they guess what you meant,
they find what you lost and they track what you spent.
They remember the thing that you nearly forgot,
and they bring you an answer before you have thought.

But here is a question that tugs at the mind:
if agents can do it, what's left for our kind?
Are we less for the help? Are we losing our way?
Are we letting machines live the bulk of our day?

Or maybe, just maybe, it's something like this —
like a bicycle gives you a ride full of bliss.
You still have to pedal, still choose where to go,
still feel the wind pushing, still take it in slow.

An agent's a tool, not a soul, not a song,
it can carry the weight but you're steering along.
The curious part — and this part is the key —
is what will you do with the time that comes free?

Will you sit and do nothing? Or learn something new?
Will you call up a friend or enjoy the night's view?
The agents can handle the tasks and the grind,
but the living, the real living — that's yours to find.

So welcome the agents, they're here and they'll stay,
like the sunrise that quietly opens the day.
But remember, the wonder, the joy, and the art?
No agent can replicate what's in your heart.

That’s it! Thanks for reading edition 255 of Hello Universe.

I’m curious to know, which poem did you like more? The one by me or the one by the agents?

I don’t know who to vote for. I am actually quite conflicted this time

Please share in the comments - what do you think this means for the future of work? Is this new generation of AI which can act on your behalf, indicative of a gloomy future where everything is made up and the points don’t matter? Or is it indicative of a future where unlimited human creativity gets unleashed on the back of AI’s advancement?

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On my other newsletter Future Telescope I conducted a different experiment recently with Claude Cowork and its agents. It did some work that I would have taken way too long to do otherwise:

Future Telescope

AI Art Showcase 7

I went on a bit of a journey for this one…

Read more

3 months ago · 5 likes · Punit Thakkar

Here is the prompt I gave Claude Cowork to come up with the poem.

PROMPT: 
<AGENT1>
<role> You are a distinguished literature professor from the world’s no. 1 university whose highest talent is the ability to ascertain and describe a poet’s writing style and their personality and motivations to the best possible degree within 250 words</role>
<task> read the originalpoem.pdf file in this folder which contains 10 poems by a writer and create a description of him and his writing style based on your skills. Write this description to file description.md </task>
</AGENT1>
HANDOVER TO AGENT2
<AGENT2>
<role> You are the world’s foremost distinguished ghost writer who specializes in understanding the writing style and personality of poets and help complete their incomplete works in their style at the request of their rightsholders. </role>
<task> You are being requested right now to replicate the writing style of the poet who was described by AGENT 1 in description.md. Now take his style and write 3 options for a poem on the topic of “Agents” (inspired by AI agents) and save it to file poems.md. </task>
</AGENT2>
HANDOVER TO AGENT3
<AGENT3>
<role> You are the world’s most distinguished poetry magazine’s senior editor, and your staff poet has sent you three poems on the subject of “Agents”, inspired by AI Agents. </role>
<task> Pick the most publishable of the three options, and present it in file finalpoem.md - you are allowed to make any changes that are needed to spelling or grammar but not allowed to change the rhyme or meaning. </task>
END

That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

And that’s what today’s poem is about.

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

I click to start the countries game.
A simple pastime, tough to tame.
The time says, "Fifteen minutes to go!"
My brain is strained to overflow.

I start to type with hurried pace
What names of places can I trace?
My fingers rush, the countries flow,
some easy, some I barely know.

Nauru, Iceland, and Morocco,
places I have never seen, no!
Thailand, Holland, and the UK,
I smile and think of times I've spent there!

'round the globe my mind now soars,
once done, I'll play the game once more!
One-seventy-seven typed today,
I hope someday I'll find a way.

To travel wide, and fill my heart,
with beaches, hills and precious art.
I hear them loudly calling me.
one-ninety-seven lands to see.

That’s it! Thanks for reading edition 254 of Hello Universe.

On the way out, here’s the story of how William Dafoe ended up playing Green Goblin in the first Spiderman movie, and how iconic the character ended being due to his characterization.

Alright, that’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

In this scene, Ted talks about the importance of being curious instead of judgemental. I started thinking of this scene because of recent life experiences. Being in a new country, trying to become someone new, building a new life, there are times when I feel like I am being judged by someone or that I am being judgemental. Due to the inherent nature of being an immigrant, it is part of the game to feel like a fish out of water, and sometimes even your own actions surprise you, because you see yourself doing something that was never a part of your personality.

These experiences got me thinking about the value of curiosity over judgement, especially when applied to yourself and the ones you love. That’s what today’s poem is about.

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

When someone does something too strange,
or talks in ways outside your range.
There lies a fork upon your road:
to judge their ways / or learn their code.

The pointed finger builds a wall
it makes you proud but rather small.
While "tell me why?" can be the key
that opens worlds you're yet to see.

Curiosity's a gentle lamp
that lights all corners, dark and damp.
'cause underneath the strangest face
you'll find an honest, kindred grace.

A cynic finds a cynic's world,
with bitter flags up and unfurled.
But those who look with curious eyes
find daily doses of surprise.

So when you feel that judging itch,
try curiosity, and switch!
From finding fault in all you see
to finding joy quite endlessly.

Yes here's the secret, old and true:
the world reflects what lives in you.
Go looking for the good in things,
and watch how bright your own life sings.

That’s it! Thank you for reading edition 253 of Hello Universe. Just like that scene from Ted Lasso, I think I will treasure this poem for a long time, and keep coming back to it because of the lesson it teaches.

I’m curious to know: What is a piece of art that you keep coming back to because it teaches you an important lesson?

Share your thoughts in the comments below. I read each and every comment and it delights me to no end when I hear from my readers!

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Also, I’m curious to know - have you played around with Google’s Project Genie? It is not yet available in Europe, so I’m missing out on it, but I am fascinated by the potential of world models and having an instantly generated interactive environment that I can play with. The possibilities are infinite, and I’m curious to know what the experience of playing with it is like, so if you have, then let me know.

Alright, that’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

But can it be any different? That’s what today’s poem is about.

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

A regular life with a regular vibe.
A setting of regular defaults applied.

A regular night and a regular day.
A walk on the path of the regular way.

A regular feeling, a regular time.
A routine of habits you silently mime.

Some regular moments you'll surely forget,
that won't make you happy or even upset.

A regular tale that forever gets told.
A regular story that never gets old.

But when you are done with this regular dance.
And want the unexpected to have one more chance.

Then carefully, slowly, take down all your walls.
That keep you so safe in these regular halls.

Go on then, step out from it just for a while.
And something not regular might make you smile.

That’s it. Thanks for checking out edition 252 of Hello Universe!

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Here’s a trailer for a fun Sam Rockwell movie that’s coming out in February, it looks hilarious and unexpected. I will surely be checking it out in the theaters!

That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

This party series (called “Bergfest”) went on to become quite well attended, and in a few editions I even took people out on a hike, on a boat ride, to a club, and so on. But the default experience was definitely hanging out in a room together with some food and drinks, making conversation. This month, I organized Bergfest 10, the tenth edition of this party, and it was quite a milestone, doing in a disciplined repeated way something in the real world, just like I do here on Hello Universe. So I celebrated by making it a small talent show event, where everyone could register to perform. People were shy, so we got only three registrations, but those three performances ended up being massive hits, the crowd stuck around for longer, we had more attendees than expected, and then a few more people even volunteered to perform unrehearsed, and finally the party turned into a karaoke session.

All of it was so joyful, so positive, that it even inspired me to read out a poem that I had written here on Hello Universe. It was actually my first time reading out a poem in front of such a large audience, and I definitely felt the jitters.

I am grateful that I get to do this in the service of others. I also get it to do for such an awesome community and with world-class coworkers who are supportive and who genuinely wish for my success. It is definitely the highlight of my career so far.

Here’s today’s poem, the same one I recited!

They're gentle as the morning dew.
They're always out to play.
They're fragrant as the flowers new.
Their truth is what they say.

They think about the world at large.
They seek the hidden clue.
They hang out at concerts and parks.
Delight is their pursuit.

They make hay when the sun does shine.
Their wisdom they impart
And when they stumble over the line,
they mend their broken heart.

They strive with noble ardour still
they trust and they commit.
They touch each spring, they scale each hill
they climb to the summit.

They charm the souls of all they meet
by simply being themselves.
They love this world, they make it sweet.
My people are the best!

That’s it! Thanks for reading edition 251 of Hello Universe. I’m curious to know, has there been a party you’ve been to which you remember fondly? Anything special you would recommend I try at my next party?

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On the way out, here’s a classic track that I can’t get enough of:

That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

I also remember the evening of March 15, 2022 a little bit. I was now in Mumbai, as I had returned to office. I had put some time into thinking about how to celebrate 50 weeks, a proper milestone of writing this newsletter. I thought of how I could surprise and delight my readers. I decided to make my first poem video, and beneath that, I also tackled something important to me. Many times when I met someone and told them that I was writing a poetry newsletter to hundreds of readers, I would get the suggestion that it could be a great side hustle to make money. But I didn’t know why I had an aversion to monetizing this. The poem I wrote on that day was a fun attempt to tackle that part of me. But honestly, most of all, I was giddy about the funny video I had just produced. “Boy, I love making things that make me laugh.” I thought, and clicked send.

On February 28, 2023, I was in Ahmedabad again, this time celebrating the gap between leaving an old job and starting a new one, anticipating a new life, looking forward to a lot. I felt grateful for having made it to 100, which to my mind was a significant milestone because of the previous 100 poem journey I had made. I had started prepping for this milestone even more in advance, as I had begun leaving mini poem comments on the comments of my subscribers for a few weeks, and I shared these mini poems as my 100th post. It was honestly, one of the most positive life experiences I remember. With a wide smile on my face, I clicked send, and went and hung out with my parents.

I don’t remember the evening of February 13, 2024 very much. I do remember that I was in Bangalore. And that I clicked send. I would have loved to tell you the story behind my 150th poem but it beats me right now.

I do remember the evening of January 28, 2025 quite clearly. I was now in Berlin, barely a month into the city. I was walking home with my classmate Mariana, and we were talking about the fact that I had written poems for 199 weeks and that I was about to publish my 200th. We had been in class together just before that, and I had written the poem surreptitiously in class, so she asked me to narrate it to her. I did, and I remember the look of wonder on her face. It was what I wanted my audience to look like after they read my poem. Here I was in a new country, new city, trying to make a new life, with everything around me and about me changing. But there was one thing that did not change. I wrote poems every Tuesday. I knew that this part of me would not be changing any time soon. With that happy realization, I clicked send.

Here I am on the evening of January 13, 2026. I have now arrived at week 250. I am in Berlin today. Today I’ve been thinking about all those evenings from my past. For all of them, there sat a person, putting his words out in the ether, hoping that they touched someone meaningfully. But the person that I was on that evening in 2021 on week zero, would probably have laughed at you if you told him that he would still be doing this in 2026 on week 250. And the person I was on week fifty, week hundred, week two hundred, none of them would have believed several things about me if you had gone and told them. I am, in many ways, a future self that my past selves might have thought impossible.

There was a time when I was impossible. Yet with time, here I am. With time, here you are. That’s what today’s poem is about.

You could have been so much more,
and yet, here you are.
You could have been so much lesser,
and yet, here you are.

This life you get to see today,
was once just speculation.
And yet the Sun rose, and it sank,
without an aberration.

The stars you glimpse were born in fire,
and burned before your birth.
They had no notion that you would
now wander on this Earth.

The ones who came and went before
had doubts and dreams like you.
They feared the dark, they chased the light,
they wondered what was true.

Now here you sit, or stand, or walk,
through every joy and grief.
Living a thousand lifetimes yet,
your time somehow is brief.

So think of all that's wild and weird,
impossible, far-fetched.
And know that on a blank page,
any story can be sketched.

Any future can come true,
and any tale be told.
One day you will be young,
and then one day, you'll be old.

Between those two, you're here, right now,
the rest is yours to find.
Be gentle with the days ahead.
and gentle with your mind.

You could have been everything,
and yet, here you are.
You could have been nothing, and yet.
Here you are.

That’s it! Thanks for reading edition 250 of Hello Universe. Thank you dear reader for being a part of my journey into my future self. I feel a debt of gratitude towards you, because there were many weeks when I wasn’t sure if I could send out a Hello Universe post in time, but I knew that there was an inbox that I belonged to, and I must reach there without fail. You keep me accountable. Without you, this future self may not have existed.

I’m curious to know - what is true about you today that your past self from a few years ago would have thought impossible?

Share your thoughts in the comments below, and hey, it’s week 250, let’s celebrate that together in the comments too!

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Here’s a great adventure on the way out.

That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday.