Spoken Word Poems That Went Viral in 2013

5) Andrew Jack -- “Skin & Bones”

To develop, someone has to imagine
Progression requires passion
This world’s so fucked, change needs to happen

Delivered over a plodding piano track that sets the melancholy tone of the piece, Andrew Jack's “Skin & Bones” addresses matters of poverty, drug use, bullying, and broken families. The meandering poem is a sort of anthem for young artists everywhere: fuck money, fuck going to school just to get a “real” job, fuck a society resistant to change. And yet for all his disgust concerning the way things are, the self-proclaimed dreamer tries to remember that “no blessing is too small.” You say you want a revolution? Well, Andrew Jack claims it’s really just an “intrinsic switch.”

4) Hollie McNish -- “Embarrassed”

In towns where pennies are savored like sweets
We’re now paying for one thing that’s always been free

Which is better, formula or breast milk? The question has long been an issue of hot debate, pitting mother against mother in an ugly battle of who’s the better parent. But in her heartfelt performance of “Embarrassed,” U.K. poet Hollie McNish refuses to be shamed any longer for publicly nourishing her baby through breastfeeding, saying that she’s sick of having to duck into toilet stalls to hide “a small piece of flesh.” She doesn’t chastise other mothers for their use of powdered milk but, rather, the companies that make and promote it, especially in third-world countries where money is scarce. McNish is so insistent in her exasperation over being embarrassed, that by the end of the piece, you’ll be “tired of sitting on cold toilet lids,” too.

3) Shane Koyczan -- “To This Day Project”

”Don’t let your luggage define your travels, each life unravels differently.”

Shane Koyczan makes no bones about throwing down the most intimate details of his life in a way that makes you want to simultaneously give someone a hug and punch someone in the face. A self-proclaimed “fat kid,” the Canadian spoken word poet was given the nickname “Pork Chop” at a young age and thereafter relentlessly teased. In his “To This Day Project,” Koyczan explores the painful process he went through in order to get to a place where he’s able to see the “beauty” in everyday life. His earnest anti-bullying message went viral on youtube in early 2013 and Koyczan has since gone on to inspire kids and adults alike with his messages of resilience and hope.

2) Suli Breaks -- “I Will Not Let an Exam Result Decide My Fate”

”Your mind is your campus, learn to educate yourself before you look for             someone else to do it for you."

Fresh off the heels of his popular performance in “Why I Hate School But Love Education," feisty student-poet Suli Breaks once more spoke out against a broken education system, one that has all too often been reluctant to sever its ties with standardized testing. In “I Will Not Let an Exam Result Decide My Fate,” Breaks paints a picture of a boy disenchanted with a schooling system that, in his opinion, actually discourages learning. While some colleges and universities no longer put emphasis on test scores, the vast majority of grade schools still do -- a travesty, as far as Breaks is concerned. The passionate video became a rallying cry this year for those seeking an alternative way to pursue education. It invoked numerous emails, tweets, and comments in support of change, as well as the creation of The Suli Breaks University, a movement committed to thinking outside the scantron.

1) Neil Hilborn -- “OCD”

"When you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you don’t really get quiet             moments.”

Neil Hilborn’s “OCD” provides a heartbreakingly candid peek into the mind of a man plagued by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a mind that refuses to be turned off. His use of repetition throughout the performance gives insight into what it’s like to be a slave to a voice that just won’t quit:

Did I lock the doors? Yes.
Did I wash my hands? Yes.
Did I lock the doors? Yes.
Did I wash my hands? Yes.

The poem, which initially went viral on Reddit, is a harrowing account of what it’s like to live with a disorder so powerful that it not only drives a man to compulsively wash his hands but, ultimately, to drive his own lover away.