Forgetfulness - Billy Collins Animated Poetry

[ChurlsBeardSmug]

Billy Collins likes to rock the status quo to sleep. He likes to struggle not to remember. The man represents American oblivion. Go ahead. Drin the Kool-Aid.

[gschupfter]

I favourited this video years ago, because I liked the animation, now i stumbeled upon it and now i understand it!

I love it :D

[devikama1994]

wonderful.................kett­o!



[mdtsendon]

It was by chance I got to this video, and how I loved that chance. Thumbs up!

[ladymoor2]

Billy is very connected to the poignancy of loss but lets us all laugh a little as we slip away.I love him.

[manatsunoshi]

the voice is kinda like text document audio reader, only better :) it relaxes me :)

[mikamo]

Anyone know what type of film this is? It looks like 16mm but I can't be sure.

[lushstories]

I can certainly relate to this poem. My grandmother had alzheimers for 30 years, and died a total shell of a person, aged 94. She didn't recognise me for a couple of decades. Incredibly hard seeing someone in that state.

[RscChingpow]

He sounds remarkably like Microsoft Sam. Hmm...

[visuality77]

nice...

[forgivemefather1988]

what program was this edited in? Its quite beautifully done

[jorge1234]

in english: Lethe! yeah memory master, i wont suffer what he suffers, ill remember everything lol

[jorge1234]

the river that starts with L is a mythical river that if you drink from its waters you forget everything.

And i can't remember its name!!!

Leteo! in spanish, leteo.

[ladyoiler]

wow. i love this

[voloz]

The last line always gets me

[thebriighterside]

his voice sounds EXACTLY like kevin spacey in american beauty...

[pponcho8245]

A good poem. too bad we will all forget it.. . . . . . this poem makes perfect sense. every word, every vowel is perfectly making sense

[GeoffreyWoodward]

So true, sad but strangely amusing, because it is so true.

Hazel

[MourningStarLucifer]

How depressing. >>

[JellyrollHorton]

Poignant, sad and funny at the same time.

[zaraaaazar]

This is so good.. reminds me of my dad in his last days.. So well written and love how the animation goes with it~~:)

[boipoet2009]

excellent ....i was waiting for the twilight zone song to play. lol. bravo

[ViewtifulJak]

SO TRUE!!!

[nocakes4you]

This is beautiful.

[nikferh]

Allah loves you all,.. watch my chanel and videos

[MrPSGifford]

Genius.

[almostdeadbattery]

this IS gold

[azngurl321]

Happy Birthday Billy Collins!

[seanpdaly]

This is so brilliant! I feel like I have found gold!

[ckirbs21]

He reads that way on purpose, BIlly Collins is an avid supporter and master of simple poetry, like the poetry of Nemerov or Shapiro instead of the intricate amounts of information and tricky metaphors of poems like The Wasteland. Getting back to the point, Collins reads poetry in a simple, monotonous style, it is both comical and supports his belief in simple poetry.

[cjzemam]

Ouch! My emotions hurt now.

[mattdamonlover110]

I love this poem, but it sounds kind of monotone no lie. I tend to read it a little differently.

[frustriert]

in my opinion metaphors r gay and poems r even more but eeehh ... dunno how to express myself here ... i somehow like it a lil ... ahh fuck it dude its AWESOME !!!

(made me cry - but im still a man :)

[petethepessimist]

As far as I can tell, you never were.

[frustriert]

lol u seem to be a pretty funny fella, but u not as funny as me ... still liked yr response

tho it made me come to the conclusion that u r totally bored and obviously u show a total lag of creativity

by the way which of u retarded faggots gave me a negative voting?!

well at least u seem to like lorikayes dead mother or "mr.sensitive" buberandthebee mournin over ALL the seniles there r

(nevertheless ... good poem) yours sincerely frustriert

[Taishudo]

OK, firstly, your grammar needs working on. Secondly, your blatant attempt to mask the insecurities you have over your (lack of) popularity are obvious, and pathetic. He is funnier than you, and he can spell. Both of which I suggest you work on before talking shit.

[frustriert]

lol came here just to watch this vid once more when i realized u talkin to me ...

1st - english isnt my mothertongue so what the fuzz

2nd - y u talkin bout insecurities with someone u found on the web lol

go and start this conversation with someone u know better u sad lil bastard XD

(guess u meant "lil" and "y" when mentioning my spelling prob?)

[ando6050]

Hum...better pass along all we know as soon as possible, otherwise what's the point.....

[clemensetz]

His voice reminds me a little bit of Kevin Spacey's.

[ajamesjohnson84]

i thought that too

[FOSUK2008]

This is really very beautiful and melancholy. Its humbling and honest. The animation is great and reminds me of a painting . The same sorts of feelings evoked in Oil. Beautifully done..

[beyonder]

beautiful

[lorikaye61]

i love this poem.......it reminds me of my mom when she got brain cancer

[megahotblond]

Interesting. Think the vid is neat too

[corn182145]

any one who can explain to me about the poem...i dont get it...

[ddrumsman549]

seriously

[lemonxjuice]

it's just about forgetfulness. and the feeling of forgetting. depends on how you wanna interpret it, i guess..

[azngurl321]

Poems are only interperted best by your own perspective.

I believe this poem is about losing yourself and finding a name for yourself.

[buberandthebee]

You have to experience people or friends or family with dementia, or who become comatose, and fear a similar loss, to understand the poem. The loss of memory to me is death - a melancholic stillness I have seen over and over in the hospital. If I had not experienced death in others, the death of mind followed by bodily death, the poem wouldn't resonate with me. But it does, strongly. The poem tells me that we are all more acquainted with death than we think, we feel it intimately and daily.

[sahsplishsplash]

anyone know what program i could use to make a similar style of animation??

[harmoniousechoes]

adobe aftereffects, or motion, illustrator. I'd just say find the creative suite.

[buzz20987]

Again. I love the approach. The animation is very poetic and is as abstract as the poem itself. Very inventive. I hope to be just as successful with my own animations one day.

[hmooblee]

when was this poem written? anyone kno?

[LostInThought11]

this guys amazing

[BabyToucher666]

FUCK ENGLISH

[herasser]

Forgetfulness does have it's good points, you can revisit forgoten books and relive the experience. It's also great for those lousy days. Perhaps when I forget this poem I can watch it again and relearn the experience.

[Nickthejedi1]

Billy Collins is a good man. His poems become so alive when you read them.

I am nerd at school for reading and enjoying poems like this. The kids are amazing, they actually have the nerve to ask me, "why do you read?" I might as well ask them, "why do you watch television?" To me, reading is my television. I can easily depict Billy Collins' poems in my head. I reccomend his poem "Aimless Love." I absolutely love it.

[Grimnian]

I like what you have written. You may think you're a nerd, but you sound very enlightened to me. Who are you?

[Grimnian]

That was really slick, brilliantly realised. Wish I could do that with my poetry. Profound.

[tjkoz22]

Fabulous! I loved it.

[prosaicwritings]

Try the new surrealist poetry and prose anthology - "To The Surprise Of The Protected" - download it free at surpriseoftheprotected dot com

Thank you - enjoy, comment and pass it on : )

[prosaicwritings]

Strapped of cash so writing on here, you might like or hate the new surrealist poetry and prose book, "To The Surprise Of The Protected" - download it free at surpriseoftheprotected dot com

Thank you - enjoy, comment and pass it on : )

[stuartonemillion]

Wow! I love Billy Collins and the animation is fantastic. What a nice break from all those polital videos I'd been watching.

[sarahrj11]

Awesome. I love this poem. Where did you get the audio from?

[SEATTLEGRL1]

Great poem and sooooo true! Too many passwords and log ons to remember now. :)

Thanks for passing this gem on, Ronan. SGrl1

[RonanG]

Superb poem! Superb visualization! 5 stars and Favourite.

[coffeeluvr41]

i am doing a school project on billy collins and his poems! i'm using this video for one of my aides.

[BlowUpPropoganda]

..............................­....

[aleplesbitang]

Billy Collins is a genius! it's wonderfull!

[ale8966]

this is pure genius!!! Love it!!!

[MalmoSofia]

this is so BEAUTIFUL!

[JNeffLind]

If you like this poem (like I do, I love it) you should check out 'Across The Clouds' by JNeffLind. It's animated poetry in the same style as Billy Collins. Fun, unpretentious, but meaningful. I tried to post it as a video response here but for some reason they won't let me.

Best,

J

[homeishell159]

BILLY COLLINS IS MY UNCLE!!!!!! hes mad cool!! hahhaha...just thought everyone should know so that u can be jealous

[tapissary]

I think the voice is perfect. The animation is also extremely inventive, showing the colors and objects forgetting themselves to the 'southern hemisphere of the brain'. There are so many hilarious, unforgettable truths in this piece.

[SpikeD1]

The voice is Billy Collins himself.

[Shinnyuu2]

the voice is part of his image

its really part of the poem ...maybe just not what ur used to..i guess we are used to poetry slam type poets who flail their arms and hollor and whoot and such .. but if u dont like the voice and tone there then you cant really like the poem

[gotitallat]

I think you should think , and voice what ever you want, thanks for sharing.

[Sweet89Sarah]

!

thats my opinion

!

[dancinmei]

I think it feels rather strange to read your own poem

[XcaptainXobliviousX]

i agree whole-heartedly .-. tis an odd sensation.

[drshabih]

BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED!!!!

[WritetheWay]

I enjoy these poems, and the animations are great fun, but the voice detracts from the message... Perhaps you could read it, or find someone else to do so?

[DantesDelToro]

Pretty cool stuff---5*

[narsingbaho]

intrsting!

[artman4444]

interesting...It looks like it took a lot of work...

[ClydeHady]

Free Verses Failing in the discipline Required to call it art, Each waning would be poet Equivocates their part! Vocalizing great disdain Each time that it is broached, Reiterating freedom, Sacrificed, not coached. Eased into unchallenged part, Still it lacks poetic heart.

[mschocolatte06]

I have a bad memory...this makes me think! So many memories faded!! OMG!!! His voice is so..ew..reminds me of the Dry Eye commercial!!

Good poem though!!

[frudgepop]

wow that was good

[blastedgoat]

this is great i hope to do something cool like this with my lame poetry someday :)

[avenger0507013]

um yeah..to all of you guys saying that his voice is dull..its kinda supposed to be. Its how poetry is first meant to be read. I mean, sure you can happily sing it in a frollically voice, but its mostly read in this way.

[Notreally18ha]

Good poem, but this guy's voice puts me to sleep. It sounds robotic.

[tonireed1]

Correct! All the top picked poets all read this way. They don't let you feel the poem with their spirit because most of them except billy are completely sans charisma and always whining about something or other. See my page and go to art and poetry link and tell me what you think.

[ChaChing86]

this was absolutely pointless..i mean... i came here in hopes of regaining some of my memory loss..and i find that i had forgotten billy collins existence altogether!

DIE...DIE!!

DIE BILLY DIE

[clayLavl]

wow..very bleak but i like this!

[pliterallyh]

makes me sad

[ameliaKane]

this poem is go good.

we will all soon forget the things we know so well.

even when we try to hold on to them.

but something else always slips away.

and in the end you don't even remember what you used to remember.

[wellyes]

I struggle to forget.

[gamblo1]

the animation is so precious,it gives this piece much more clarity ,theres not enough credit for mr julian grey,its inspirational

[liiba80]

i think he read it as well as he has written it.

the entire poem is a piece of wisdom one can never forget.

[Watervoice]

Forget Collins.

Frgt Colns.

F?

[slodeth5]

I did enjoy this. I thought it creative, attention getting and brave. The video, the words, the whole thing kept me listening.

[lemmejustwatch]

the moon and the window seem(s) to have drifted out of a love poem that you used to know by heart.

[phlyagaric]

phlyagaric

[SHONA825]

this is the responce that won't seem to load...

Everyday becomes an Escape

One you really will never make

//o-o\\

S

[palomarios]

i think he read it well.

[LIZZIEpocket]

is this really collins reading?

the tone of his voice doesnt sound to match how i imagine the words should be spoken.

if that makes sense?

[sansoosavage]

yes it is.

[jonxchin]

really really good.

[rahmanxfile]

Great

[thriftstorepatina]

Great video. Strong images with plenty of space for our own imaginations to join in.

Greatly improves the poem.

[Ravenbomb]

I'm on the opposite side of the fence from Pwiener. I love the poem, but the animation is alright. The reading is the part that could really be better. It just seems so detached, but not in a way that fits the poem. Tom Waits had a reading of a Charles Bukowski poem on his latest album, and that type of reading would fit this poem much better, IMO.

[rinconion]

this is narrated by billy collins himself

[Ravenbomb]

Aye, I know. But just because he wrote a good poem doesn't mean he read it well. Writing and speaking are different skills.

[tonireed1]

I saw the guy live and he is a full on comedian--blew Haas out the door. Nothing like that dry NY humor. He use to have one of my paintings hanging on his office wall. Go to my page and then to my art link. It was the angel one at the bottom.

[Rabbit0]

His poems are so interesting.

[erikshade]

why am i so sad lissening to this

[XtbsxloveX]

Its ironic really, i used to know this poem by heart...

[pwiener]

This fairly mediocre poem is enhanced greatly by this wonderful animation. Nice work!

[Sufiquest]

Wonderful animation. Those who don't like the poem or think it's simple or about a truism. . .don't you think that progression to floating down the river of death is subtle and surprising? That the association of memory and life itself is arresting? Simple is not simple-minded.

[tinrooflighthouse]

Lol,who took the time to make a video put their finger on this truism?

[WilliamWaterway]

forget collins frgt colns f clns f ?

[JediLiz]

what year was this written and animated? thanks!

[Trinibutterfly]

such a down-to-earth, simple, feel good poem! I love it.

[Watervoice]

f ?

[Watervoice]

f colns

[Watervoice]

forget colns

[Watervoice]

Forget Collins

[lilucraz]

i really like this poem, and its a hell of good filmmaking

[RBlakeMiller]

billy collins is the puss of the bad poetry pimple that keeps stringing out into the greedy and stupid palms of illiterate bookstore pirates

[aldoaspilcueta]

simply beautifull

[bluerose218]

Interesting. I like the love poem jab at the end...but other than that I'm not terribly impressed. The poem is just ok. The animation was kinda cool, though.

[WENCHINGTON]

You know what that means? It means your dumb.

[oneWorldling]

wow.

[patgarfield]

amazing ^^

[c1pal]

Beautiful.

[nnyl89]

love it!

[timrod46]

graphical poetry seems to be making aggressive advances. you can check out this blog if you LOVE poetry. i'm an established poet myself,and believe me when i say i was impressed:

easypoetry+blogspot+com

Since I can't put in the website, change the crosses to dots; you can probably figure it out

[Shetasen]

Billy Collins is a quirky poet, I have to read him for Summer reading for College. I have trouble with many of his poems but I like them all.

[KatieLemonade]

I think people who come here, "watch" random videos just to post stupid comments like... porn webs, couting super packs... and maybe even this stupid message I'm writing right now, probably are truly bored, and wish that maybe there was something better to do... I wonder...

Do all the guys on the internet have small d*cks and are horny... ????

Are all the girls on the internet sluts and are horny???

God I hope not... am I the only normal???

[dopexlove]

i understand

poeple just have no lives

i watch these when i wanna trip

cuz they make you trip

[veverica24]

poetry my ass. there's more poetry when I watch the forest in front of my house. most of the post-modernism work sucks like hell, anyway

[veverica24]

some achievment, really, being the laureate in America. After the death of Charles Bukowsky, US don't know shit about poetry, haha, they should stick with doing what they do best: pornos, crapy movies and A LOT of guns

[veverica24]

word

[davidw1941]

Great Animation. Just Beautiful. Do More.

davidw1941

[breeeegs]

go to hell

[limesink1]

Counting Empty sugar packs in the trash can...

My Chamomile tea,

Hot but not so sweet, how much

Sugar did I use?

[Aloverssunset]

Very interesting. Thank you so much for sharing

S.

[Ejoy4]

hi this is Erica, one of the poets on you tube and the international library of poetry. I thought that was amazing. A story picture to tell your poem. It all fits perfectly with the video. Congratualtions with your honors.

[marolo82]

Is this made with after effects?

[macheath2K]

Remarkable

[anzya91]

This video just fascinates me. How did you make it? (what software, techniques, etc.)

[cturtle]

FANTASTIC! billy collins i my favorite poet, and i LOVE this vid! it has definitely inspired me to try to create a video version of one of my own poems ...

[Mabawo33]

This was awesome, I really liked both the poem and the animation. I appreciate you posting it smjwt. I am trying to do a similar thing but in a much much much more simplified way, using powerpoint, musical instruments, and some of my own poetry. Its been fun but, hmmm, still not there yet. Anyone else out there interested in this kind of thing?

[tlhrevna]

Yes, actually! No experience with it but I'd love to try it with my own stuff. Have you had any luck?

[Gnecco]

Alas, a Lass, so...so...go we too.

[LyricalWilliam]

Im a 61 year old poet in the United Kingdom, can anyone explain maybe help me creat a video of my poems as i am not so good at high tec, maybe some kind person could contact me.

[roisincasey]

I hope someone gets back to you :) I have no idea how to help you, but YouTube will be all the better if you are successful

[LyricalWilliam]

roisincasey:I manged to put some of my work on this ladies site Judelicious1971 the site is titled "Our Favourite Poems" thank you for your reply.

[roisincasey]

Great, I'll give it a look!

[robertpina99]

Poetry and civility on Youtube. What just happened?

[meghamillie]

tht was good. the poem is depressing...but forgetting stuff is a depressing experience so rightly so!

[rodricage]

PUTA MADRE, CHINGON!!

[mrwonder112787]

wow. Just about amazing...I never even heard of Billy Collins before I looked up "poetry" on youtube...good stuff....