Once upon a midnight dreary,

While pondering life in academia,

I chanced upon a tale so eerie,

That made my heart sink into despair.

It was a story of a scholar so bright,

Who left the ivory tower behind,

And found solace in the night,

From the pressures that did him bind.

The weight of publication and grant seeking,

Was crushing his spirit like a stone,

He felt suffocated by the ceiling,

Of the tenured position he had known.

The fear of failure and rejection,

Haunted him like a ghostly presence,

He couldn't shake off the feeling of obsession,

With the metrics that defined his existence.

But one day, he realized with a start,

That this life was not worth living,

So he packed up his bags and departed,

To find meaning in another giving.

Now he works with passion and purpose,

In a field that brings him joy,

No longer bound by the strictures,

Of the academic employment boycott.

His new path may not be as prestigious,

Or offer the same level of fame,

But it gives him fulfillment and happiness,

And that's what truly matters in the game.

For though the road ahead may seem uncertain,

And the journey may be long and hard,

One thing is certain: we must learn to cherish,

Our own happiness, no matter how scarce.

So let us break free from the constraints,

Of the expectations that society imposes,

And follow our hearts, without hesitation,

To live a life that's true and full of noise.