Only Together
Raul Radovitzky is a Professor in Course 16. Ever since joining MIT in 2001, he has marveled at the strengths of the MIT community. Since becoming the Head of House at McCormick Hall in 2015, he has largely devoted his life to supporting students and to contributing to making our community even stronger. The following poem is an expression of heaviness and anguish over the apparent, and hopefully temporary loss of a lot of what was once precious on this campus.
I have stayed silent respecting your pain.
Because mine is nowhere near what I can only imagine yours is.
But it’s been too long... so here it goes:
I’m speaking to you, you’ll know... that specific you,
but also ANY-other-student you on this campus.
Together we are capable of impossible things...
like finishing an 8.01 pset on time, or...
that mesmerizing feeling of...
an almost on-key karaoke duet of “A sky full of stars.”
I’ve rejoiced in the warmth of your scintillating humanity,
and I know that you have felt my imperfect one too.
I weep at the thought that our sky full of stars is gone.
So there, I said it, there’s something precious to lose here too.
I’m the same me, and I know that you are the same you, essentially.
So please don’t write me off.
We, together, are the glimmer of hope, because together we are capable of impossible things.
Only together...