I discovered Button Poetry a few years ago. Based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, they are a publishing company that strives to get poetry out there in many forms – be it videos, performances, events, or chapbooks. How I discovered them, like many, was through social media. Button has a huge following on Facebook, with over 2 million “likes.” They are artist run and have poets from all walks of life. The diversity of the poets, their background, and the content they create is what makes Button so great. You can listen to a poem about racial inequality, or pick up a chapbook based around women and feminism. I love this company because the messages the poets give, but also because it reaches such a large audience. Millennials like things that pop up in their newsfeed on Facebook, something that has a message that they can relate to, and something short enough to keep their limited attention span. Button’s videos fit all that criteria, which is exciting knowing it’s reaching so many people my age, making poetry more accessible for everyone.
I thought I’d take a few of the most popular videos from Button and break them down.
With 91 million views on facebook, and 14 million on youtube, “OCD” by Neil Hilborn is a strong and honest poem. (Originally published by Button Poetry on YouTube)
His performance of this piece is so special, a voice which couldn’t be duplicated. He tells the story of having OCD and falling in a love so deep that it changed him. My favorite part of the poem, which are the opening lines, are,
“The first time I saw her…
Everything in my head went quiet.
All the tics, all the constantly refreshing images just disappeared.
When you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,
you don’t really get quiet moments.”
He talks about a love so strong that even though his mind is never usually at ease, she makes him feel peaceful.
The poem continues on and goes through the motions and hardships of having OCD and being in love, and ultimately losing his love as a result of his condition. The last three lines of the poem are the most powerful,
“I want her back so bad…
I leave the door unlocked.
I leave the lights on.”
These lines are there to show his attempt to prove that he has changed, and how true his love was.
This poem is truly beautiful because of the performance. However, this poem proves that so many people can relate to it, too. If you follow this link you can see how this piece has inspired Reddit users. Not only has it touched people who deal with OCD, but it also touches people who have dealt with heartbreak and loss. It’s a truly inspiring poem, with a brilliant poet and performer behind it all.
Another topic Button isn’t afraid to touch is racial inequality. Donte Collins does an amazing job covering this topic in his poems, especially in his chapbook “Autopsy.” This poem, titled “What the Dead Know by Heart” is a striking insight of how Collins feels being a black male. Watch his performance here (Originally published by Button Poetry on YouTube):
The imagery he creates in this poem is so strong it sends chills down my spine.
“lately, when asked how are you, I
respond with a name no longer living
Rekia, Jamar, Sandra
I am alive by luck at this point. I wonder
often: if the gun that will unmake me
is yet made, what white birth
will bury me, how many bullets, like a
flock of blue jays, will come carry my black
to its final bed…”
Starting off with names of real people who have died is so raw. Then, when Collins speaks of the gun that could one day kill him, it really digs deep into the readers emotions.
This poem isn’t just relatable to black males, or those fighting racial inequality – it’s for anyone who seeks justice for everyone. It’s for people to see the hardships of someone else through a different view.
Finally, a third poem I wanted to share is titled “Like Totally Whatever” by Melissa Lozada-Oliva. Watch here (originally published by Button Poetry on YouTube):
The poem dives head on into the way women are talked down upon and treated differently, especially by white men.
It opens up,
“In case you haven’t realized it has somehow become necessary for old
white men to tell me how to speak
They like, interrupt a conversation that isn’t even theirs, and are like
“speak like you mean it” and like “the internet is ruining the English
language.””
My personal favorite lines are,
“And it’s like maybe I’m always speaking in questions because I’m so used to
being cutoff.
Like maybe, this is a defense mechanism: Maybe everything girls do is
evolution of defense mechanism.”
This speaks volumes about what girls and women go through every day just because of their gender. Just because we are women doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have the same right to express ourselves and our stories the same way men do. We are so often silenced by others. Another good line from this poem is, “It’s like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway were geniuses for turning women into question marks.” We are not question marks, we are meant to be heard.
Overall, I feel that Button Poetry is helping the poetry community of spreading poetry to more people. Their push on social media really drives them to reach large audiences. Their poets are fierce writers and performers, as you can see, and really aren’t afraid to dive into topics like mental health, racial inequality, and gender inequality. Button is taking something so dear to me, poetry, and making it a better experience for so many, which is why I have so much love for them and what they do.
motion in poetry 