An Ode to Amanda Gorman

Today it was announced that poet Amanda Gorman would be parlaying her success from her reading at the inauguration of President Joe Biden into a brand ambassadorship with Estée Lauder. According to the New York Times, she turned down $17 million in various endorsement deals before deciding to work with the cosmetics company, where her official title will be “Global Changemaker.” NYT fashion director and critic Vanessa Friedman made sure to note that Estée Lauder chose that specific title “as opposed to, say, spokeswoman or ambassador or ‘face,’ though she will also be all of the above.”

In honor of Gorman finally deciding to make some brand money, I have written her a poem, to be read in the style of spoken word.

Good For Her (She’s Rich Now)

Amanda, Amanda

stuck out her hand and

Estée Lauder came

running

Money corrupts,

but Gorman disrupts

and turns modeling

into direct action

Who’d call her a shill?

Through the power of will

she has become a saint

and an author

This is only the start,

for this Changemaker’s heart

has so much space

for brand deals

Her goal is presidency

but we’ll just wait and see

if a poet has opinions

on tax law