When I Dream of Venture Capital…

I woke up last night dreaming like any before,

I rolled out of bed, and I walked to the door.

I got quickly dressed and made my way to the gym,

My soft relaxed heart, full to the brim.

When working out no notifications plagued my small phone,

Strangely enough, I actually felt weirdly alone.

No email, no Slack, no Hubspot, no text,

Work-life balance; I was oddly perplexed.

I got home, I showered, I logged onto Zoom,

And what do you know? Everyone was on time to the room.

When we were on the pitch, it was quick and calm,

Not a screen shared, not a bad question, not even a qualm.

Although it was pass, and an easy one too,

The VCs gave feedback, and their feedback was true.

They talked of product market, pitch quality, and team,

The entrepreneur took it in stride, no loss of self-esteem.

The VCs sent along intros, and materials, and recs,

So that all of the companies could reach their apex.

I broke for lunch, and enjoyed my peace,

And during this time too, the emails did cease.

The afternoon started with whimsy and whim,

Beautifully brewed coffee, nature’s synonym.

Iced of course, though the introductions were warm,

Investors meeting, many lives left to transform.

We talked of industries, and the beauty within,

Diversity, equality, honesty, friendship; an utter lack of sin,

I caught up on emails, responding within twenty-four hours,

Yes, there was not a thing for which my mood could turn sour.

Even here in Los Angeles, the traffic had disappeared, or so it seemed,

But that, of course my dear friends, was how I knew, that this too was a dream.

The evening I spent at a networking event,

For once this was a choice that I did not resent.

There were no transactional actions or exchanges of pitches,

Just people being people, and this the greatest of riches.

We drank down the wine, and we drank down the gin,

We drank in each other the evening, and the love therein.

We exchanged numbers or Instagram, not a LinkedIn in sight,

And when I drove home that evening, it all felt so, wonderfully, beautifully right.

I went to bed in the morning, relaxed and relieved,

From the horrors of venture, I too had been reprieved.

But when I woke up this morning and it was all still the same,

No balance, no humility, no honesty, no shame.