A man with OCD has taken the Internet by storm with a poem about falling in love.


And his bravery is inspiring others to share their own stories about overcoming limitations.


Neil Hilborn performed 'OCD'[1] in June during the individual finals at the 2013 Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam[2] .


In the poem, through repetition and theatrics, Hilborn paints a painful but beautiful image of being in a relationship while dealing with OCD:


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... When I saw her, the only thing I could think about was hairpin curve of her lips or the eyelash on her cheek, eyelash on her cheek, eyelash on her cheek.

On Monday, after Redditor antron81 posted the clip to Reddit[3] , Hilborn's performance went viral.


He decided to do an impromptu Q and A on Reddit[4] .


In the comments, Hilburn explains that the poem was written in 2011. The tics in the performance are intentional, he says, "but they are also .. actual tics. Sometimes in performance they become real."


Hilburn went on to say that since writing the poem, he has found love.


"I wrote the poem... a little over 2 years," he wrote when one Redditor asked if he's since had girlfrinds. "And yes, I have! And the relationships didn't even suck!"


The profound effect Hilburn has had on people is highlighted in the near 1,500 Redditor comments that followed the original post.


"As someone with Tourette's and OCD, I just want to say, thank you so much," Redditor wilechile wrote. "I felt that. It was beautiful and it made my day."


"While this post is largely 'famous' for the fact that you have OCD and it's your story, anyone of us that has gone through heart break still knows exactly how you feel," another Redditor Prinsn wrote. "So your limitations clearly don't limit your ability to adequately express yourself.[5] "


Hilburn, along with two other poets, is now embarking on "The Good News Poetry Tour,"[6] where he will take his slam poems on the road.


“The Good News Poetry Tour is the daily paper delivered to the doorstep of every person who has ever thought about sticking a fork in an electrical socket just to know what glowing is like," one reviewer of the show wrote. "Dylan Garity, Hieu Nguyen, and Neil Hilborn wake up early to lace their boots and hit the pavement, bringing you the Good News every morning: the human heart is the size of a crow, but its wingspan stretches like telephone lines.[7] ”



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  • Teenage Sweethearts Reunite And Marry In Their 70s


    Eileen and Warner Billington aged 16 and 17, on the 'Charabanc' trip to Rhyls, North Wales, in 1950. Childhood sweethearts who were forced apart as teenagers by their parents because they were too young have finally tied to knot - in the 70s. Devoted Eileen Lockley and Warner Billington fell in love sixty years ago but her father refused permission for them to wed because of her age. The couple had to split following their two year romance and later met new partners and were each married to other people for over 50 years. But after both were widowed their romance was rekindled following a tearful reunion at a railway station - and they have now married each other in their 70s. Eileen, 78, of Newquay, Cornwall, said: "We have simply picked up where we left off. It's like being teenage sweethearts all over again.




  • Teenage Sweethearts Reunite And Marry In Their 70s


    Eileen and Warner Billington on the wedding day at the Truro Register Office, Cornwall. Childhood sweethearts who were forced apart as teenagers by their parents because they were too young have finally tied to knot - in the 70s. Devoted Eileen Lockley and Warner Billington fell in love sixty years ago but her father refused permission for them to wed because of her age. The couple had to split following their two year romance and later met new partners and were each married to other people for over 50 years. But after both were widowed their romance was rekindled following a tearful reunion at a railway station - and they have now married each other in their 70s. Eileen, 78, of Newquay, Cornwall, said: "We have simply picked up where we left off. It's like being teenage sweethearts all over again.




  • Teenage Sweethearts Reunite And Marry In Their 70s


    Eileen and Warner Billington pictured after meeting for the first time in 60 years, at the Sutton Coldfield Railway Station. Childhood sweethearts who were forced apart as teenagers by their parents because they were too young have finally tied to knot - in the 70s. Devoted Eileen Lockley and Warner Billington fell in love sixty years ago but her father refused permission for them to wed because of her age. The couple had to split following their two year romance and later met new partners and were each married to other people for over 50 years. But after both were widowed their romance was rekindled following a tearful reunion at a railway station - and they have now married each other in their 70s. Eileen, 78, of Newquay, Cornwall, said: "We have simply picked up where we left off. It's like being teenage sweethearts all over again.




  • Teenage Sweethearts Reunite And Marry In Their 70s


    Collect photo - Eileen and Warner Billington in Newquay, Cornwall. Childhood sweethearts who were forced apart as teenagers by their parents because they were too young have finally tied to knot - in the 70s. Devoted Eileen Lockley and Warner Billington fell in love sixty years ago but her father refused permission for them to wed because of her age. The couple had to split following their two year romance and later met new partners and were each married to other people for over 50 years. But after both were widowed their romance was rekindled following a tearful reunion at a railway station - and they have now married each other in their 70s. Eileen, 78, of Newquay, Cornwall, said: "We have simply picked up where we left off. It's like being teenage sweethearts all over again.




  • Teenage Sweethearts Reunite And Marry In Their 70s


    Collect photo - Eileen and Warner Billington in Newquay, Cornwall. Childhood sweethearts who were forced apart as teenagers by their parents because they were too young have finally tied to knot - in the 70s. Devoted Eileen Lockley and Warner Billington fell in love sixty years ago but her father refused permission for them to wed because of her age. The couple had to split following their two year romance and later met new partners and were each married to other people for over 50 years. But after both were widowed their romance was rekindled following a tearful reunion at a railway station - and they have now married each other in their 70s. Eileen, 78, of Newquay, Cornwall, said: "We have simply picked up where we left off. It's like being teenage sweethearts all over again.




  • Teenage Sweethearts Reunite And Marry In Their 70s


    Eileen and Warner Billington at their home in Newquay, Cornwall. Childhood sweethearts who were forced apart as teenagers by their parents because they were too young have finally tied to knot - in the 70s. Devoted Eileen Lockley and Warner Billington fell in love sixty years ago but her father refused permission for them to wed because of her age. The couple had to split following their two year romance and later met new partners and were each married to other people for over 50 years. But after both were widowed their romance was rekindled following a tearful reunion at a railway station - and they have now married each other in their 70s. Eileen, 78, of Newquay, Cornwall, said: "We have simply picked up where we left off. It's like being teenage sweethearts all over again.