Ollie Schminkey - Two Twin Beds
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- Опубліковано 29 жов 2024
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Ollie Schminkey, performing at NPS 2014 in Oakland, CA.
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Button Poetry is committed to developing a coherent and effective system of production, distribution, promotion and fundraising for spoken word and performance poetry.
We seek to showcase the power and diversity of voices in our community. By encouraging and broadcasting the best and brightest performance poets of today, we hope to broaden poetry's audience, to expand its reach and develop a greater level of cultural appreciation for the art form.
NOTE: Ollie uses gender-neutral pronouns (they/them/their). We encourage discussion in the comments, but please respect Ollie's preferred gender pronouns when referring to them.
Closet Time it literally says in the comment you're replying to: them.
the microphone makes the shape of a tie on their shirt and it really completes the look
eatyosalads it really does😂😂
Wait I've thought it was a tie the whole time
"I don't need her to be sorry, I just need her to be listening".... perfect
"I have cried so often in my life that it is no longer exciting or dangerous" Yasss Ollie. You get me so much it's scary!
"My life is a shitty job that she's never been poor enough to have to keep" my gosh, yes.
Wooooooooo that line was SICK!
"It is so easy to talk about what a shame it is when you've never had to feel ashamed of claiming the word survivor."
"Suffering is not a contest."
Feels game too strong
yesss
Ollie is one of my absolute favorite poets OF ALL TIME. So amazing.
*Ollie's work is always so brilliant and heartbreaking. They always have a way of making their message so powerful and "understandable" (as much as you can understand someone else's suffering). I just hope they never stop writing and performing poetry :)*
God, Ollie's poetry always astounds me. They're really incredible.
Also, extreme respect for Button Poetry for commenting their preferred pronouns, seriously. Props, dudes.
Thank you so much for this. I remember and it happened 45 years ago!!!! 45!!!
Each line more quotable and powerful than the next.
I'm so glad the comments section is supportive. This is a really tough thing to talk about. Great poem, Ollie.
"how do I tell her that sometimes crying and having sex feel like the same thing?"
couldn't have said it better myself.
I love their poems so much.
5 years later and this poem still has my all time favourite quote "this conversation is not an easy one. but easy and worthwhile are not synonyms" wow.
This moved me, not just because it was so powerful but because I was once where Ollie is now. I was that survivor still trying to work through the trauma. You will get there, keep believing that, and know that you are strong.
I love the way that Ollie reads. Their voice is beautiful, with just the right amount of texture and rasp. The way that they give off so much genuine emotion… You live Ollie's poem with them.
Ive watched this probably at least 50 times and I still cry every time I do. They are such a beautiful poet.
They're so brave for writing this. The rawness and pain and love is inspiring. Ollie, just wow.
This poem really speaks to me. It is like Ollie went right into my mind. "She doesn't have to leave the theatre during the rape scene, the trigger warning does not apply to her." "My rapist' face is everywhere." Of course I never wish this on anyone, but you wish a certain degree of empathy, not pity. Overall amazing.
Ollie is such a beautiful person, their words have such a catch, so raw, so real.
Ollie speaks so powerfully, their words left me crying.
I absolutely love their passion. In every one of Ollie's poems, eyes are opened to different sides of issues we hear every day. I can't imagine what it would be like not to be able to relate all the time to my husband, but they definitely put it in perspective: being able to relate is not the same as understanding. Sometimes you want to relate to what hurts your lover, but you won't be able to. The understanding Ollie has with their partner is beautiful, and many couples could benefit from this kind of sentiment. Bravo, Ollie, and thank you.
Hands down one of the best poems I've ever heard. Their way with words was incredible.
"How do I explain to her that sometimes crying and having sex feel like the same thing?"
Ollie is amazing and absolutely love all of their work.
They are such an amazing poet they give me chills every time
Ollies poems are a great example of how powerful words can be. They always leave me speechless.
Ollie's poems will forever by favorites. They never fail to amaze me, to make me shiver and feel.
This is by far my favourite poem ever. I love the power and strength in their voice as well as their message. This means so much to me as I can relate and understand what they are going through and has went through. I am proud of them for their bravery to speak, step, and stand out. ❤️ I watch this whenever I’m struggling and it always helps me. Thank you, Ollie.
This actually made me cry. I relate to it so much and it's so validating to hear these thoughts put into words and spoken so well.
They're just so damn good at conveying how a moment feels.
Ollie's poetry is ALWAYS AMAZING! That is the only word I can think of to even remotely describe their work, simply amazing. They just have such a way with words that evokes an emotional response! Ollie, you are one kick ass person!
I don't think I'll ever forget this poem
Ollie's poems are often the only thing that keep me sane. I know I'm not the only one that feels this way. Their poems deserve a lot more attention honestly.
Ollie.. How do you always make me cry..?! ❤
Ollie is amazing, absolutely adore their words
Ollie... You've stunned me again with your words. Thank you. And thank you Button Poetry for sharing them!
Oh my god I love their poems.
This moved me so much I'm crying.
for some reason i always find myself gravitating towards this poem. just want to give credit where it is due and express how much i think they did at great job with this piece. THANK YOU for giving it to us.
"sometimes crying and having sex feel like the same thing." kills me.
Ollie is one of my favorites.. everything they say is so raw and powerful.
Olli, if you read this, i just wanted to say i feel that way too. thank you. lots of hugs.
Ollie's poetry is always so incredible
I may not have gone through what they are saying but I started to cry because I could feel the emotion in myself so I thank you for this
That was FANTASTIC.
This brought tears to my eyes, Ollie's poems are powerful and I love listening to them.
ollie's poetry is so beautiful. i love their work it's so amazing i feel a strong connection with every one of their words. bless ya ollie.
Ollie's work is definitely at the top of my favorites list.
My friend introduced me to Ollie and I'm obsessed, they're so powerful in how they speak.
favorite line: "but my life is a shitty job she has never been poor enough to have to keep."
Absolutely incredible.... You have put words to what I have never been able to say, thought me about a language I didn't even know I was speaking, and brought clarity to a tragedy that too many of us have to experience. You are incredible.
Really tough stuff. I'm looking into more videos and their poetry is really fantastic and thought-provoking. Great stuff!
That poem was so beautiful, so raw, and so important. Ollie's truly amazing.
"And I could just collapse and know the silence is not an easy one." Damn Ollie you blow me away every time. I cannot describe what it feels like to listen to this poem and understand how they're feeling. Ollie, you are an inspiration
i really enjoyed how this poem kinda had a 'happy ending' :)
i can't get over how powerful this is
Ollie is so amazing, I felt every moment of this piece.
I love all of their poems but this one speaks to me on a whole another level and i can't stop thinking abut it.
I've never related to something so hard, Ollie thank you for making me feel alittle less alone.
I am sobbing in the college library.
Ollie is honestly amazing, i love their poems so, so much. and i really connect to this one.
I adore there work ollie is so talented I cant express how much this poem helped me come to terms with what happened to me.
I love Ollie. Their poems are...amazing.
Ollie will always be my favorite.
One of the best poems I've heard in a long time
Ollie you have showed me that not every single human is not the same. We all have different Ts. My friend Sally introduced me to you and wow am I glad.
Love you Ollie
"pity: the emotion that feasts while it talks about the starving" is a line i still think about, holy shit
ollie always writes such beautiful poems
THIS IS AMAZING I'M CRYIN'
I love Ollie so much, their poems are so amazing
This is truly amazing Ollie you are one of my favourites
woah. WOAH. I’ve never related to a poem more.
This is so powerful. And all too relatable
Ollie is by far my favorite poet :)
Interesting and thoughtful! Thank you!!
Ollie has saved my life more than once
Fantastic.
So powerful.
Thank you, Ollie. This is beautiful.
Wow so powerful
Wow... Oh wow...
Awesome, just awesome.
Thank you.
Wow. Such an absolutely incredible poem. Well done Ollie
This is so so relatable. wow.
so brave and strong , and powerful. Thank you for sharing .
I adore Ollie's words
It's like Ollie sucked all of my memories out of my brain to write this poem. Holy shit.
I do not need her to be sorry , I just her to be listening
"loving someone means inventing your own language"
This poem gives me hope that I can one day find someone to deal with me when I am reliving my sexual trauma
omg i love these poems
This is one of my favorite poems. It brought a lot of things to light for me. Thank you, Ollie. 💜
I absolutely love her...
This is so beautiful :')
This was so sad and beautifully done 👏
I'm crying...
Ollie is my favourite ❤️
Anyone know of where I can find a closed captioned version, or a transcript? I'd like for my deaf friends to be able to read along with the performance.
+Pablo Ventura
My partner and I sleep on two twin beds pushed together so we can pretend we own a bed big enough for both of us. Sometimes when we move in our sleep, the beds slide farther away from each other and we wake up with this gaping hole between us. Last night, she found me crying in our kitchen. She offered me her hands like a warm glass of milk with honey in it but my sadness requires no soft touch. I’ve cried often enough in my life that it is no longer exciting or dangerous.
I am grateful that my partner has never been raped. I’m grateful her mouth has never turned more ash then tongue but sometimes, it’s so lonely feeling worthless all by myself.
When I talk about the sickening feel of him that lingers even four years later, her eyes are a sky full of pity. Pity: the emotion that feasts while it talks about the starving.
She doesn’t have to leave the theater during the rape scene, the trigger warnings do not apply to her. It is so easy to talk about what a shame it is when you’ve never had to be ashamed of claiming the word, survivor.
Which is to say, that the most difficult part of her day is what to choose for breakfast. Which is to say that sometimes I wake up and there is so much distance between us, there’s only the hardwood floor where I thought her body would be. Which is to say, I love her. But my life is a shitty job she’s never been poor enough to have to keep. Suffering is not a contest, there is no prize if I win. There is nothing romantic about the scars on my hipbones. But, there is a language barrier. Our difference strangles every conversation.
We go to buy groceries, each man at the bus stop wears my rapist face. She says the word love a little too forcefully and his hands are pushing me down. How do I explain to her that a Buick is not just a type of car, it is a graveyard.
That I cannot have sex with the lights on because I will be able to see him there. How do I explain to her why our room is always so dark?
When she talks about high school, she talks about the boys whose inexperienced hands didn’t know how to touch a body and all I could think about is how he didn’t know how to keep his hands off. My god, how do I explain to her that sometimes crying and having sex feels like the same thing?
But loving someone means inventing your own language. It means turning herself into a basement during a tornado. It means turning herself into a safe space. It means turning her hands into a question and turning her hands away when the answer is no.
In this new language, we erase pity and write in empathy. I do not need her to be sorry, I need her to be listening. In this new language, we call trigger just an excuse for her to see another side of me. We call distance an excuse to rearrange geography. We call crying, catharsis. The way after good sex or a good cry I feel so tired I could collapse.
And no, the sadness is not an easy one. This conversation is not an easy one. But, easy and worthwhile are not synonyms.
So we wake up, in the middle of the night, and push our beds back together.