Man with OCD Blows Internet Away with Hauntingly Stirring Love Poem
When a poem is powerful enough to get the Internet to stop and take notice, you know it must be something truly special.
And Neil Hilborn's love poem "OCD" absolutely is.
Performed during the Individual Finals of this year's Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam, Hilborn's ode to love in the time of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is poignantly punctuated by the poet's palpable on-stage struggle with nervous tics threatening to derail the entire thing.
After a video of a recital rushed to the top of Reddit this morning, Hilborn made a surprise appearance in the thread to take questions from his newfound fans.
In his responses, Hilborn confirmed that he has undergone extensive therapy over the past several years which has helped substantially reduce the intensity of his symptoms.
He also reveals that the poem was originally written some two years ago, and the girl in question has heard it, which lead to an appropriately revolving relationship of getting back together and splitting up a number of times before Hilborn finally called it off.
If you're looking for more from Hilborn, make sure to check out his other Rustbelt entry, "Mating Habits of the North American Hipster" — the only performance in the entire tournament to earn a perfect score.
