You can get a free coffee this week in exchange for a poem

If you live in a big city, one of your daily irritants is probably how much you pay for your morning coffee.

If you get it plain and black, it might not be too bad. But as soon as you get even slightly fancy, that price starts creeping up. Yet another reason to never check your bank statement: you won’t see how much money you spend every month on flat whites!

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Well, good new for anyone who feels particularly out of pocket because of their caffeine addiction. This week, to mark National Poetry Day, participating coffee shops will be offering a free cup of coffee. It comes at a small price: a poem.

Just hand over your poem on Thursday – 21st March – and you should get a lovely cup o’ joe on the house.

The ‘Pay with a Poem’ initiative has been up and running for a few years – and this year, singer-songwriter Tom Odell is getting involved, too.

“The digital world is a space where I can sometimes struggle to find meaning. We see dozens of song lyrics, quotes and verse posted on Instagram every day, but how many of us can say we actually feel connected to that?” he said. “As anyone who follows me on Instagram will know, I am a real advocate of putting pen to paper. Whether I am at home, seeking inspiration over a morning coffee or travelling, I believe there is something very freeing in taking a moment out of the day to write.”

And Marcel Loffler, CEO of coffee roaster Julius Meinl, who spearhead the initiative, say that it’s designed to “facilitate moments of inspiration”.

“Coffee and tea is the creative fuel to encourage people to take the time to connect with themselves through writing,” he said. “With a personal passion for poetry, we are thrilled to be working with Tom Odell to help make poetry even more accessible.”

To find out more, click here - we can’t wait to unleash our deranged creative talents on a poor unsuspecting barista.

Images: Unsplash