The Poetry of Purpose

Welcome to the "Poetry Issue."

Now I know what some of you are thinking: Poetry. Ewwww. 🤮

(Perhaps as a grade-schooler you, too, had to memorize "If" by Rudyard Kipling and are still semi-scarred from the experience?)

Well, before you slide into the next item on your agenda, hear me out: I think there's a beauty in the work of social entrepreneurs that mirrors the metaphors and symbolism of a poem. Doing more with less and doing it through the marriage of heart and smarts. A certain durability around a framework that emphasizes doing more with less, giving of yourself to something bigger in ideal, often conjuring images of the natural world to which we increasingly peg a new truth in its importance to our existence, from the spiritual to the physical. I don't know about you, but I find all of this fairly absent from the repetitive stanza of profit, profit, profit in the nonfiction world of legacy business.

The thread of poetry runs throughout this week's issue, starting with a poem called Compassion, a characteristic much needed in the world today. It's by the poet Miller Williams - for those of you who are into music, he's Lucinda's father.

Enjoy and Godspeed, friends.

Russ

💬 Quote of the Week

“There's no money in poetry, but there's no poetry in money, either.” Robert Graves

🙏 Compassion

You can listen to Williams read his poem here.

🛠️ Cool Tools

• There's poetry in this gift guide - Stuff, stuff, stuff. Don't just buy stuff - put your purchasing power to work by purposely buying gifts from companies that create social and environmental impact. Our friends at Brand Pollinators and Modern Species have collaborated on the heavy lifting of putting together a special impact-driven gift guide for you. Go to their respective websites for more info + discount codes. Now, please.

💥 Quick Hits

• Remembering a social justice titan - The poet Benjamin Zephaniah, who "opened the door for future generations of poets of color to use their own voices," passed away recently. Read his obit here.

• Nurturing generations of Black poets - In 1996, the poetry fellowship Cave Canem began with the objective to foster the growth of Black poets. Its support has spurred the development of U.S. Poet Laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and McArthur "genius" grant recipients.

• "I Don't Know What Will Kill Us First: The Race War or What We've Done To Earth" - Sneaking in another poem here, this one about climate change by Fatimah Ashgar.

• Poem-a-Day - An easy way to get a poem delivered to your inbox daily, from the Academy of American Poets. Sign up here.

🤔 Trivia Time

Godspeed reader Heather Meyer suggested we include coverage of the world's climate summit, COP28, in this issue. More about that in the future, but as COP28 wraps up today, we thought the New York Times did a good job with this seven-question quiz that encapsulates COP28 with the intriguing title, "Are You a Climate Nerd?" Test your nerdiness here.

And if you want to test your poetry trivia chops: How many lines does a sonnet have?

• 9
• 14
• 17
• 21

Today's trivia answer can be found at the bottom of this newsletter.‌‌‌‌‌

Find the Most Meaningful Work of Your Career

Our partner One Work has you covered with meaningful work that goes beyond a paycheck, a cubicle, or a weekly team Zoom call. You'll find purposeful jobs like those below, along with many more at the One Work job board.

• Maps - You can find your poetry in psychedelics at this hybrid organization (a public benefit corporation with a nonprofit arm) working to commercialize prescription psychedelics for mental health treatment. Brand Lead and Head of Marketing, REMOTE.

• Palmetto - Work is served sunny side up at this solar energy company that offers an amazing benefits package for its employees. Employee Experience Manager, Charlotte, NC.

• Roots Studio - Roots Studio works with Indigenous communities to digitize their art and make it available for licensing to other companies, providing economic opportunity to cultures around the world. Worth a click for the creativity of its homepage even if you're not in the market for a new job. Marketing and Communications Lead, REMOTE.

Trivia Answer‌

A sonnet has 14 lines.

Such as:

See what I did there? I snuck in another poem😉. Sonnet is by Billy Collins.

Please consider supporting Godspeed and this community by upgrading your free membership to a small monthly contribution or annual subscription. 🙏