Don’t think poetry has much to say to you? Watch this powerful poetry performance by Neil Hilborn, formerly of Houston, now living in Minnesota. Hilborn has OCD and his poem is about being in a relationship.

In June he performed this in the regional finals of the 2013 Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam.

What part performance, what reality? He told Reddit some of the tics are planned, others just happen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=//www.youtube.com/embed/vnKZ4pdSU-s

This article appears in Aug 8-14, 2013.

Margaret Downing is the editor-in-chief who oversees the Houston Press newsroom and its online publication. She frequently writes on a wide range of subjects.