Poetry for Entrepreneurs: Love My Startup More than You

Some of you may know that I moved to Silicon Valley recently.

Although i've engaged in some startup activity here, alot of what i've been doing is watching and observing. Being a writer, this naturally made me want to put down a few words about what i'm seeing about the state of entrepreneurship in the valley. Oddly enough I found the best way to comment on life here is through poetry (don't ask me why - I've never written much poetry before).

This poem, "Love My Startup More Than You" is about love and hope and the life of an entrepreneur. It’s about relationships and how they’re put on hold sometimes in the early days of a startup.

It came from watching the way that my married friends were involved in starting companies. It’s not unusual here for someone to have a full time job, and be working nights and weekends for their own (or some friend’s) startup, which alas doesn’t leave a lot of time for romance.
This poem is based on an old army marching tune from World War I - a time when young men ere leaving their girlfriends behind to go to fight in Europe. The original started "Cindy Cindy Cindy Lou, Love My Rifle More Than You”.

I’ve changed Cindy Lou to be Cindy Lu, in honor of the large Asian population in Silicon Valley. And of course i've changed "Rifle" to "Startup". ere it is:


Love My Startup More Than You
by Rizwan Virk

Cindy Lu, Cindy Lu
You know that my heart is true

But my Idea is very new
And we’ll make a million dollars
If only I can prove
That the market is true!

Cindy Lu Cindy Lu
Soon I’ll be home
And put my arms around you
....
But first
I’m being shown
Design specs I must review!

The beta downloads are a jumping
But so are the bugs that need a thumping!

Please let me know
When the baby is asleep
Then I can show
You how we'll avoid feature creep!

Towards you my sweetheart I’ll always feel
A never ending attraction
But right now what I really need to show
Is more customer traction!

Cindy Lu, Cindy Lu
Don’t look at me that way,
You’ll worry yourself blue!

Once we raise our series A
Our mortgage will be easy to pay!

And if the company gets in a bind,
My investors will help me find
Some folks that are keen
To assemble a management team
And we’ll be on our way
To making lots of green!

So please don’t think that I’m mean
When I say:

Cindy Lu, Cindy Lu
You know my heart is true,
But just right now,
I love my startup
More than you!