I think therefore I test 99 seconds talk poem
23 Oct 2025
They say "I think therefore I am,"
You just are, there’s no exam.
For my existence, to prove my mind,
Is when I know that I can find.
A bug inside a systems frame,
So critical, it brings me fame.
So it’s not some grand poetic line,
That proves this mind and soul are mine.
It’s in the logic I apply,
And every detail that I try.
My thought's a process, sharp and keen,
To find the bugs that lay unseen.
A critical mind, a patient eye,
To pick apart the how and why.
I'll test the system, up and down,
I'll check the rules without a frown.
I'll question every single clause,
And look for logic's little flaws.
But that's not all, there is some flair,
A lateral thought, but do I dare?
I'll ask, "What if we did this instead?
Put custard on the server's head?"
That's when a new path is revealed,
A silly bug that's been concealed.
A thought technique, a curious mind,
To prove a theory a light is shined.
It is a mystery to solve,
To find out how these bugs evolve.
So if you see me, deep in thought, Don't think that nothing has been caught.
My brain's my greatest tool, you see, I think, I test, therefore I’m me.
You just are, there’s no exam.
For my existence, to prove my mind,
Is when I know that I can find.
A bug inside a systems frame,
So critical, it brings me fame.
So it’s not some grand poetic line,
That proves this mind and soul are mine.
It’s in the logic I apply,
And every detail that I try.
My thought's a process, sharp and keen,
To find the bugs that lay unseen.
A critical mind, a patient eye,
To pick apart the how and why.
I'll test the system, up and down,
I'll check the rules without a frown.
I'll question every single clause,
And look for logic's little flaws.
But that's not all, there is some flair,
A lateral thought, but do I dare?
I'll ask, "What if we did this instead?
Put custard on the server's head?"
That's when a new path is revealed,
A silly bug that's been concealed.
A thought technique, a curious mind,
To prove a theory a light is shined.
It is a mystery to solve,
To find out how these bugs evolve.
So if you see me, deep in thought, Don't think that nothing has been caught.
My brain's my greatest tool, you see, I think, I test, therefore I’m me.
Ady Stokes
Freelance Consultant
He / Him
MoT Ambassador. Currently semi-retired and freelancing. I am, amongst other things, a writer, speaker, and accessibility advocate. Leeds Chapter Lead. MoT Certs curator and article editor for WonderProxy. Testing wisdom, friendly, testing songs and poems. Great minds think differently. STEC and SQEC Certified. Struggling to write a book about testing mindsets and thinking's application in software development.
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