Sabrina Benaim - First Date

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Sabrina Benaim, performing at NPS 2015 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.

[@tcvttcvt4305]

She could recite a poem about watching paint dry and it would still be exhilarating

[@nadaroshdy485]

Ikr?

[@tcvttcvt4305]

+Nada Roshdy come again ?

[@nadaroshdy485]

+sarah shaw I know right?

[@nadaroshdy485]

sarah shaw omg i'm agreeing with you smh.

[@ur_local_army_bts3048]

lxefhyfty kjuty lol

[@shelbyteresak]

I don't understand this poem at all but I think this poem understands me.

[@Gabrielle5th]

lmao same

[@kimmris1776]

I think the poem explain who she is when she in relationships.. but i cant understand them all too.. haha

[@HappinessTheBrand]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@hazziewillow2472]

Same... its wild

[@sc-ek6qz]

Yes so true!

[@internetfimel9232]

I wouldn't say I'm sensitive. I would say I'm highly susceptible to feeling a lot.

[@GioSimmerOficial]

Loved that line! ♥

[@asguilbault]

Szumeijah aldubai-mohamed love that line! Extremely relatable to me... amazing poet!

[@shannonhoke3643]

That is the best way I have heard someone put words to someone who feels more than most, it's not that we are emotional but are highly susceptible to feeling a lot more than most do. 👌

[@crystalkadletc1944]

Szumeijah aldubai-mohamed that is me right there

[@lidiapinheiro481]

"Love made me feel like I knew the answer but when I raised my hand, I was the only one in the room." Love that line so much

[@marianaalmeida558]

Lídia Pinheiro i didn't get it, do you mind explaining?

[@miss1black]

She felt like she finally got the answer so she raised her hand to give it but no one was there to hear it. Love is supposed to be about happiness with other people and being with someone. But being alone in the room and lonely means she didn't really have the answer to love or was simply too late to answer.

[@DasSteppenwolf]

Nancy I view it on a different way. I think she is saying that when she finally falls in love with someone, the other person is not there o hear, meaning they don't feel the same way about her or don't want to.

[@JasmineDCarter]

I think that it means love makes her think she has it figured out but truthfully, she hadn't had it all figured out. The absence of people in the room signifies the fact that she can only truly have HER point of view. So, she believes it because there is no one there to deny it.

[@paulinazelikowicz9122]

"My mother tells me I am a bird, but when she says I am a bird she means the whole world is my cage"

[@DiSaValCrescerTranscender]

Great quotation!

[@kanikagupta247]

Can you explain the meaning of this very line? I have multiple interpretations.

[@DiSaValCrescerTranscender]

@@kanikagupta247 I think she's saying that even being a bird she is still trapped by the conditions and circumstances. We just fly inside the limits of the world, our cage.

[@kanikagupta247]

@@DiSaValCrescerTranscender right, thank you♥️

[@judybassiouny7656]

👏🏻

[@Ravengal101]

"I am best prepared for the worst case scenario. The best case scenario scares me. Flight response."

[@deleteeeeeeed]

"I like my body best when I'm not thinking about how much space it's taking up"

[@kaleyd4041]

Damn, she goes from zero to sixty and I've never felt more alive

[@writerspen010]

This feels really weird to see/hear after only having seen her in "Explaining My Depression to my Mother," but I am so glad that she's feeling happier

[@stylesoul]

I completely agree with you.

[@jeremiahshade626]

+Marine hj she probably got that of her person and she's a lot lighter spiritually and emotionally

[@azsaabito-stephens6918]

I was completely thinking the same thing

[@sonicfoxxmusic4281]

Possible EMPATH....look it up Deni. ....and STAY STRONG!!!! I watched "Explaining my depression to my mother"....then i did an experiment. I went straight to MY mother, who never quite got my "late" brother's depression(fuelled by alcohol and followed up by prescription drugs of every kind any doctor could fill him with)..and ran depression by her. The accuracy of detail in EXPLAINING MY DEPRESSION TO MY MOTHER was astonishing...virtually everything mentioned in that amazing piece of awesome thinking, were MY mother's answers!!!!! For the first time in my life i realised...EVERYBODY(including my mother) needs to wake up and actually listen when somebody utters the words.."I AM DEPRESSED" and ask them WHY?..then shut the hell up and LISTEN, take it all in...and realise it is damned difficult to live in a world if just getting through the day is REALLY TOUGH...and nobody understands......LISTENING, UNDERSTANDING and ACTUALLY UNDERSTANDING the sufferer is MASSIVELY KEY. I, personally do get odd bouts of depression(lows) but what i tend to do is write...AND IT WORKS!!!...i have now become a professional song writer and am astonished when i co-write to find that the vast majority of creatives are totally miss-understood, miss-diagnosed, mistaken for freaks and totally judged by their low moments....when they also are able to have HIGHS....and not the kind most are thinking of...MENTAL "highs" which come with achievements. I once summed it up in a lyric... THE SUN IN MY WORLD ALWAYS SHINES. If i spend most days thinking, About my life itself, Does this really mean, That i need help, That's the way i live my live, It's life i've chosen, And other worlds' Are where i wish to be, AND I'M SORRY, IF I WAS NEVER HERE, OR FOR AS AND WHEN, I WOULD DISAPPEAR, IT'S JUST THAT IN THESE WORDS OF MINE, THE SUN IN MY WORLD ALWAYS SHINES, AND THEY TAKE AWAY MY TEARS, YES, THEY TAKE AWAY MY TEARS. etc, etc. In other words...write yourself to a happier place...it can work for some. Regards, SONIC FOXX, SONIC FOXX MUSIC, ENGLAND.

[@prince654]

agreed

[@flameballification]

"... when I say I cried, I mean I taught the clouds how to cry for me, dig?" My heart melted, I love her use of retro vocabulary and style in general.

[@nabilaaissani154]

what does she mean with that part?

[@shannonhoke3643]

In my opinion I think she means this ... have you ever been so sad that you welcomed the rain, clouds and crappy weather because they matched how you were feeling but couldn't express those feelings ...so the clouds cried for you instead.

[@AnurviMehra]

My heart is a messy bedroom I always distract myself from cleaning.

[@holdencaulfield8933]

I digress

[@ppbandit8832]

"My kiss tastes like a shotgun to the lips You'll like it; it'll make you feel brave" Sabrina is without a doubt one of my favorite poets, and this just cements my opinion

[@lyka57]

This woman knows her way with words.

[@PlayitAgain16]

How do you even begin to write something like that... my god.

[@cecethompson9901]

that's what I was wondering

[@MichalPetergac]

Easy. It starts with "Hello."

[@chadd9508]

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.-Ernest Hemingway

[@angelsimpson8235]

Transcription: Hello! When I say hello, I mean thank you. When I say thank you, I mean I adore you, and when I say I adore you, I mean I will check your horoscope. I mean when you leave the balloons that you carry in your laughter behind on my ceiling, well I like them better than flowers. My body is a garden rooted in gratitude. Thank you is the biggest poem I've got inside of me. Me? I am a campfire cold hearts like to sit around and roast their marshmallows in, but when I say campfire I mean tiny furnace, little light lady, I mean I am NOT the path of least resistance, but I swear I was struck by lightning. Bang! Boom! Wow! This one time at Coachella when Jay-Z brought out Beyonce I mean I am flawless... Procrastinator. My heart is a messy bedroom I always distract myself from cleaning, I digress... When I say Beyonce came out I mean fireworks went off and I cried when I say I cried, I mean I taught the clouds how to cry for me, dig? I wouldn't say I am sensitive, I would say I am highly susceptible to feeling a lot, and sometimes, there just ain't enough rocks Forrest Gump, when I say my feelings are a box of chocolates I mean I like to eat them. I also like to get high enough to look myself in the third eye, but when I say I like to get high I mean sometimes, after I shower I thank the towel. snap, crackle, or pop? Me? Pop. I mean I've got this violent tendency to see a bubble and want to pop it, which is to say: I have held love, but I popped it and locked it, then dropped it and lost it, I didn't mind. Love made me feel like I knew the answer, but when I raised my hand, I was the only one in the room. What I mean is have you ever felt the egg of swallowing starlight? That cinnamon heartburn? What I mean is his name is still a plate set at the table of my tongue because I learn love like wait for it. If I called the last person you said I love you too, could they tell me they felt it? Can you feel this? I am allergic to liars they cause my tongue to swell and sharpen; bullet, flesh, tongue, I mean my kiss tastes like a shotgun to the lips, you'll like it. It'll make you feel brave. My first crush was on Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez I swear, that boy ran so fast, he could fly by foot. I always say I am a hummingbird, but when I say hummingbird, I mean sometimes my hands forget how to hold, become two tea cups in an earthquake, my body is a rattle of splintered bones, but when I say my body, I mean blunt guts and then some. my body, miraculous. I spent an entire year sleeping on a bed of swords and was not cut once. What I mean is, my lonely looks a lot like insomnia when you hold it up to the light. what I mean is if I came to you lonely as a grocery store parking lot at 5 a.m., blowing smoke rings pretending they are halos, could you believe in the magic? Not beauty, not the beast, I'm talking, enchanted castle. I mean my body: space jam. My body has ways to tell anything else than the truth; flight response. Hey do you ever just sit on the end of your bed and listen to the world spin? I hear that song everywhere, but when I say that song, what I mean is time. Time is a holy catastrophe of heirloom clocks faces that don't fit my wrists, dig? The only instrument I know how to play is my body, I like my body best when I am not worried about how much space its taking up. I mean dancing, but when I say dancing, I mean shimmy-and-a-shake-and-a-wop-wop-drop, my body's got move yall, like it sleeps in a waterbed. What I mean is my body sleeps in itself. I am best prepared for the worst case scenario. the best case scenario scares me; flight response. My mother tells me I am a bird, but when she says I am a bird, she means the whole world is my cage. In my dreams, I can fly, and there is no such thing as cage, meaning there is no such thing as time. I have been here before. I mean I recognize that moon, and I know, I know there are many moons, and my gratitude eclipses them all, so, I say thank you. I say thank you, but I guess I just mean- hello.

[@leeleepop651998]

Not all heroes wear capes ❤

[@angelsimpson8235]

+Leanne Allen Sorry if I messed a lot of it up x.x

[@letsfreakynow]

Tnksss

[@christianschuylerscott4039]

Alexandria Pearce I think she said "sleeping on a bed of swords..."

[@bostonian12052]

So I want to do this poem for the poetry event at one of my schools speech and debate tournaments to do you think it’d be school appropriate ?

[@LaurinhaBenedetti]

I'm not sure if i got it right but what I understood is that she is going to a first date with some guy and she says "hello" while there are SO many things behind those words, she's carrying so much baggage with her, all of her story, a broken and sensitive heart, someone who is scared of love because it hasn't been nice to her lately, etc... But it's just a first date so she just says hello. What i don't get is why the hello also means thank you?

[@hmariemusic]

Maybe she means, 'thank you for giving me your attention' or 'giving me a chance.' Like there aren't a lot of people who would want to know about her deeply. But she's also scared to even give them that chance to know her, so she says 'hello' instead of 'thank you.'

[@joshk1437]

Oh my gosh. Thank you so much. I've been trying to get my head around this for so long.

[@LaurinhaBenedetti]

Haley G that makes a lot of sense !! Thanks

[@delaniekae]

I've watched this an unhealthy amount of times because it just seems to explain how I feel in all situations

[@djbutler9747]

Dkk Same!!

[@themonsterwithenme]

my heart is a messy bedroom I always distract myself from cleaning. my favorite line

[@VanessaKM]

I think this is one of those poems where I think... I'll understand this better when I'm older...

[@ruqqaya]

do you understand it better now

[@dolly15rox]

I felt this so much my heart started racing. it's weird to see people call this a happy poem I didn't feel happy I felt manic. this felt like the beginning of a panic attack...its such a surreal experience to feel feelings your so familiar with through someone else

[@alextouzet4941]

right? i never once thought of it as happy.

[@myahg2241]

"I am a campfire, cold hearts like to sit around and roast their marshmallows in."

[@bdizzle7399]

She said that her mother told her she was a bird and what that meant was the the world was her cage and in her dreams she could fly and there was no such thin as a cage, but this was after she referenced having insomnia and that is just devastating.

[@EmilyDodwell]

B Dizzle I understand this point but what if she means dreams as in aspirations? As if she wishes there was "no such thing as cage".

[@Strawburry643725]

The descritions and comparisons are out of this world

[@aesthetic3521]

Strawburry643725 yes it's crazy

[@alexxisdaniel6705]

Omg beautiful. "Love made me feel like I knew the answer but when I raised my hand I was the only one in the room."

[@amyle1408]

Her voice. I remember her voice. It's so great to hear her again. Her smile is beautiful.

[@MariaKhordina]

"If i called the last person YOU said I love you to, could they tell me they felt it?"

[@lisa-pr4nn]

she's practically explaining to you what her poem means

[@sierrakusterback]

+Kim Taehyung well... that's how it's supposed to seem, but every time she says "what i mean...", she's just wrapping another metaphor around the point (which i believe IS the point). so, no, she's not. not really.

[@samantha8929]

+Kim Taehyung Completely irrelevant to the video, but I love your name and picture :) BTS

[@basicbella3793]

I love her and writing so much

[@TiaDeeRants]

glad to see another poem from her, love her and her poems so much

[@osuji10]

So happy she's happier. Beautiful poem!

[@icap.7166]

how do you memorize a poem like this omg?? i'm honestly so in awe with her raw talent and poetry

[@varshasubramanyan3221]

"I'm best prepared for the worst case scenario - the best case scenario scares me!" Shivers!!

[@mitchellemonroe6808]

"In my dreams I can fly, and there's no such things as cage." I can most definitely agree to that

[@mongseptember]

i haven't got any favourite line because the entire poetry is too good to be true. love it.

[@cynthiadelshire4407]

If this was a first date, I was in love in under one minute. And when I say minute I mean for a lifetime :D

[@tommierodgers4963]

The beginning of the poem explains what the a relationship/dates are at the beginning [generally good feelings], as the poem keeps going, she understands she is alone and realizes that.

[@tommierodgers4963]

or at least what i took from it

[@tychiqueciamala5491]

walter white Oooooiiiii

[@alessiavalentina1132]

Yes, I believe in the magic. You are the magic Sabrina.. It seems that you writes all your poems with the hearts of some humans in front of you,inside of you. Perceiving us. Thank you, Sabrina .

[@xXSabzyKababzyXx]

Im crying . Too much of that made sense to me

[@xXSabzyKababzyXx]

Came back to this 3 years later thinking of someone new. Wow.

[@eminek8526]

hmmm

[@calgakispict3652]

I love the way she always has so much passion and the words are so well considered and beautiful and cutting at the same time

[@ButtonPoetry]

Couldn't agree more!

[@gloreearh]

i love her poems ooo

[@alysiakimball7967]

I could listen to her forever

[@starrweeks6219]

she makes my heart happy

[@kaleighbennett5240]

7 years later and its still my favorite poem

[@cadencemorrison5510]

i dont get it but i like it

[@riwarassi3311]

love everything she writes❤️

[@DJCyberClash]

Okay, but that ending was really cute with the little bow and just--I squealed. I love this poet. She's so relatable and loveable.

[@ellie971]

My absolute favourite poem. There's just something about this one.

[@desirahsiryesdude6813]

I have listen to this poem a hundred times. Thank you

[@afrachowdhury7466]

I love this poem so much because it's like expressing like a million emotions through one word when you see the one you admire.

[@fangirlrambles4895]

Days and months keep going by, and I still come back to this poem. Simply stunning.

[@kedabhairocks]

I love her and her poems. She is so good.

[@TheDeviantGia]

This is such a beautiful poem. It actually hurts my heart every time I hear it. Magic.

[@tammythread6898]

she completely describes me every time I absolutely love her trail of thought and her composition is flawless every time

[@beselful6606]

That poem is out of this world ! How could anyone be so accurate and creative?! she left me speechless

[@joshk1437]

There needs to be a website like genius.com for poetry.

[@DiyaSabharwall]

Josh Kelly there is! genius has poetry lyrics! Including Sabrina’s! also poetry foundation has lots of poetry!

[@amnashehzad1132]

Makes me cry every time

[@erichaisaunicorn3191]

I love her poems so much omg

[@brendaguevara1804]

I love Sabrina's work

[@lizzie3454]

this human creates magic/wonder. just astounded at how she forms her sentences and layers her words- so good m8!!!!

[@skelegirl1]

jesus christ, that was soo amazing. Button Poetry is one of my favorite channels and I normally watch them when I'm in a bad mood because I always find a great poem that matches how I'm feeling. But when I did that today, I came across this one and instead of matching my mood, it really just made me feel happy :)

[@NicE-ow6tw]

This woman has a very powerful way with words. I respect her so much.

[@maelynweatherspoon6635]

Beyond amazing

[@bjark2943]

i love her she's so full of passion

[@roniboni___]

I adore Sabrina so much Her style is so impeccable

[@keeganeilin8833]

I come back to this piece so often

[@shaniyahthompson746]

Oh my god I love this

[@asifSpliff]

Years later and this still makes my heart swell. Well done Sabrina.

[@cel5391]

She’s so good and articulate I really don’t understand how some people are so talented! Ugh you go girl!

[@christinefavata8136]

Her words are so captivating.

[@Khurvs]

This is absolutely incredible!! Truly she is gifted!

[@makapaka6452]

Words can't express how much I love this! She has so much talent.

[@afeatherinthewind]

"I always say I am a humming bird. But when I say I am a humming bird I mean sometimes my hands forget how to hold, become two tea cups in an earthquake" the perfect way to describe shaking hands when feeling anxious

[@drgonzoman917]

I'm half way through this and I adore it.

[@carolinaalexandra8921]

She has such a way of words. What a beautiful girl with a beautiful creative mind.

[@morganchard1308]

Her poems calms my anxiety almost immediately. Thank you, Sabrina.

[@simranm9483]

I keep finding myself getting back to this poem(:

[@amyedwards8146]

So much of that I relate to.

[@farihasneeha1499]

I love her omg

[@spacedustandplanets7901]

i love this poem i relate so much and her hair being frizzy is brilliant for me bc a lot of my friends have perfect hair and my hair is a frizzy curly mess

[@SarrahSalihan]

SUCH A QUEEN I LOVE YOU

[@marcuservin9990]

The New Beat Generation of Poets is Here 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

[@xNoToUrZx]

Ugh I love her so much. Her poems just make me feel things. Idk that sounds weird

[@mi2257]

wow... the imagery is just perfect. LOVED it!

[@claudiafetter7023]

We love you, Sabrina. I'm watching all your videos during the quarantine

[@lexibowden3848]

This is so beautiful. She described my whole life.

[@kristeemarie2229]

BEAUTIFUL

[@Paranormal_Matt]

She's amazing, I love her

[@nombtosh4017]

Love this.amazing

[@saramalkin4498]

I listen to this like I would a favorite song

[@anika_tahsin_prithila]

I lost count how many times I've watched this video, but it never gets old. :')

[@TatyOrtizz]

i seriously love her

[@macy3560]

She is my adhd and my love and my passion. Her words are beautiful and a mess and I enjoy every bit of it because its all so human. And i love rediscovering this work and her others.

[@honourelizabeth4841]

I love this so much

[@majocalle7660]

this poem is so incredibly beautiful

[@majocalle7660]

❤

[@carleefairchild4196]

I could listen to her all day ❤️

[@brookbeck9566]

I love her

[@tiffanyJoy]

This was such a great poem and performance. Thank you.

[@treyjohnson7552]

What a awesome poem Sabrina 😊😊

[@crystalkadletc1944]

Sabrina is so amazing

[@ClaudiaExcaret]

I'm so glad I found this channel