Bianca Phipps - The Heartbreaker Poem 

"Your father teaches you how to be the first one to walk away. Leave before they realize you are not worth staying for." That right there...is the line that got to me

"Leave, before they realize you were not worth staying for." "Leave, before they realize you are not worth scarring for." Those hit me hard

"Leave before they realize you are not worth scarring for" OH GOD.

"Run your fingers over every name that has left your mouth for the last time and tell yourself you've done the right thing" That was so beautiful

"And years after their divorce your father 's voics can fill a room and your mother still makes space for it"

"Practice on the ones you love most, that way, nothing can hurt you." That part seriously hurt me.

"6. When boys begin searching for hospital room hearts you warn them yours is a broken glass bottle. They don't care, or they don't hear you. They cut themselves on sharp tongues trying to make fingerpaintings with the blood on their hands, make it sound so beautiful you almost believed them...almost." I memorized and performed this piece years ago and this part still makes me cry. Thank you for this life changer, Bianca.

One. Your father speaks of his youth with revelry; spills his life across the table like an overturned drink covering everything. Your mother, doesn't speak. Any stories of her premarital life come from your father's mouth. He speaks of how he tamed her, saved her from a life of reckless abandon; clipped her wings to keep her from flying too close to the sun, but Icarus would've just as soon drowned than burned, and the silence in your mother's mouth is a salt water darkness. She does not speak up to defend herself. Even now, years after their divorce your father's voice can fill a room and your mother still makes space for it. When your mother teaches you not to be swallowed she is already sitting in the belly of the beast she once loved. You wonder if she has grown to love the darkness like she once loved the man. Two. The day you learn the importance of emergency exits is the day your heartbeat stops sounding familiar. It is a stuttering tongue, a trembling hand. Your heart beats like closing doors, beats like your father's fading footsteps, beats like every plea you will learn how to swallow; don't go, don't go, don't go, don't. Your father teaches you how to be the first one to walk away, leave before they realize you are not worth staying for. Three. When your mother tells you not to be afraid of falling in love, you do not miss the way her hands shake, you wonder if they miss the handcuff weight of the ring that used to rest on that finger, wonder if you too will fall in love with a padlocked man. You begin to be wary of boys with birdcaged hands; they have mouths like oceans and your mother is still wringing sea water from her bones. Four. You master the art of slipping away by starting small. Fix your body clock so you always wake up first, plot escape route like past time, force your heart to beat; just go, just go, just... Practice on the ones you love most, that way nothing can hurt you. You cannot break a mangled thing and you don't know the last time your heart sounded like a heart. Five. He tells you you eat like a bird. You tell him your mother taught you well. He laughs and reaches for your hand, you smile and begin to slip through the cage of his fingers. Six. When boys begin searching for hospital room hearts you warn them yours is a broken glass bottle. They don't care, or they don't hear you. They cut themselves on sharp tongues trying to make finger paintings with the blood on their hands, make it sound so beautiful you almost believe them. Almost. Soon you know they will wake up with scars and blame you so you leave them a bandage in the dark and don't look back. Leave, before they realize you are not worth scarring for. Seven. You see every outstretched hand as a palm preparing to drown you, so you sink further underwater and ignore the burning in your chest. Run your fingers over every name that has left your mouth for the last time and tell your self you have done the right thing.

Literally the most painful way I've ever heard a girl with "daddy issues" described. It felt like daggers to hear but I need it.

The thing that got me is when she repeated 'almost'.

I always look forward to her poems, she is such an amazing poet

SHIIIIIIIIIIT! tHIS POEM IS AMAZING ONLY HALF WAY THROUGH AND I had to rewind. 'Leave before they realize you're not worth staying for'That hit me so hard

This is the words I wish I could stop thinking when I smile to any man that I wish I could have. Because every man that I once had that I thought I'd never lose wrote each word along the way, creating the poem that is my past. The feeling of laughing and movies and kisses. Endless nights of cuddles and attempts to pull down the only barrier you have between him and his only goal... I'm crying and crying and crying... My laugh is lost in the memory of his touch. He gave you words you thought were yours. His words were his fists and the punches he threw were only for what he though he could have... The words he left for the body that he once wanted... But they all stop trying. They all realize that the blows that they throw are no longer something I am worthy of... They're gone. Then days, months, years go by and you finally fix yourself... Alone. Then the one comes along and you wonder if the punches will maybe... just maybe... ever be truths...

"You see every outstretched hand as a palm preparing to drown you. So, you sink further underwater and ignore the burning in your chest."

"you don't know the last time your heart sounded like a heart." mine is breaking so much.....

I can relate to this more than I wish I could...

"Boys with birdcage hands" sounds like something Sarah Kay would say :)

This poem is really well written, I hate how much I relate to it, the delivery was really well spoken too.

1. your father speaks of his youth with revelry: spills his life across the table like an overturned drink, covering everything. your mother doesn’t speak. any stories of her premarital life come from your father’s mouth. he speaks of how he tamed her, saved her from a life of reckless abandon, clipped her wings to keep her from flying too close to the sun; but icarus would have just (assumed) drowned than burned, and the silence in your mother’s mouth is a saltwater darkness. she does not speak up to defend herself. even now, years after their divorce: your father’s voice can fill a room and your mother still makes space for it. when your mother teaches you not to be swallowed- she is already sitting in the belly of the beast she once loved. you wonder if she has grown to love the darkness like she once loved the man. 2. the day you learn the importance of emergency exits is the day your heartbeat stops sounding familiar. it is a stuttering tongue, a trembling hand. your heart beats like closing doors, beats like your father’s fading footsteps, beats like every plea you will learn how to swallow: don’t go, don’t go, don’t go, don’t- your father teaches you how to be the first one to walk away- leave before they realize you are not worth staying for. 3. when your mother tells you not to be afraid of falling in love, you do not miss the way her hands shake. you wonder if they miss the handcuff weight of the ring that used to rest on that finger, wonder if you too will fall in love with a padlock man. you begin to be weary of boys with birdcage hands. they have mouths like oceans and your mother is still wringing sea water from her bones. 4. you master the art of slipping away by starting small: fix your body’s clock so you always wake up first, plot escape routes like pastime, force your heart to beat: just go, just go, just go, just- practice on the ones you love most, that way nothing can hurt you. you cannot break a mangled thing and you don’t know the last time your heart sounded like a heart. 5. he tells you “you eat like a bird.” you tell him your mother taught you well. he laughs and reaches for your hand. you smile and begin to slip through the cage of his fingers. 6. when boys begin searching for hospital room hearts you warn them yours is a broken glass bottle. they don’t care or they don’t hear you.they cut themselves on sharp tongues trying to make finger paintings with the blood on their hands: make it sound so beautiful you almost believe them. almost. soon you will know they will wake up with scars and blame you, so you leave them a bandage in the dark and don’t look back. leave before they realize you are not worth scarring for. 7. you see every outstretched hand as a palm preparing to drown you, so you sink farther underwater and ignore the burning in your chest, run your fingers over every name that has ever left your mouth for the last time, and tell yourself: you have done the right thing.

This girl deserves somebody who won't care if they get scarred. With her literary intelligence, she should be with an English Linguist. She needs to know love. And not the love underneath the bed sheets on a Friday night. She's a girl who has been through a lot. So she deserves ALOT more. I hope she finds it.

- You cannot break a mangled thing.- -You warn them yours is a broken glass bottle.- -Leave before they realize you are not worth scarring for- -You have done the right thing.- Something broken can never be fixed and once its broken it can never trust again...I find this so true because i cannot love anyone in fear of being hurt...i push the ones I love away and find myself drowning slowly and i have no one to blame but myself :'(

Someone articulated all my mistakes into a few stanzas

"Leave before they realize you are not worth staying for" ❤️

It's hard to see yourself in many ways along this poem. I cry everytime. Beauiful.

this is my poem... War Is War is a stormy night, with roaring lightning and lavish snow, In a once bright morning filled with blooming flowers and gushing sunshine. In the storm we went, to find even the slightest bit of light, through the thick clouds we travel, with no relief in sight. Lightning strikes, through the thunder, the fire is spreading, all around us the wind is screaming. The monster of a storm was unmerciful consuming everything within its path. Through the memories of my mind, the events of the storm will be an everlasting trait of time.

that was so beautiful

I watch this video again, and again! Thanks Bianca Phipps, for being such a great word poet, and creating something that resonates so deeply with me.

This poem speaks volumes to me; she puts into words feelings I've had that I have not even been able to identify yet. Beautiful.

3 years later and I still listen to this. One of my favorite poems and she's most definitely my favorite poet.

God, you can hear the pain in her voice and it broke me too.

I never get tired of hearing this poem. So much feels. 😞

She reminds me of Sarah Kay and Sabrina Benaim

2019 and this is still my favorite slam poem

Amazingly constructed and so real. Snaps to yah, Bianca.

This honestly made me cry, reminded me of my mother

This made me cry everytime

Bianca Phipps is so wonderful poet and is so beautiful and delicate.

I've listened to this every morning for weeks. It hits me to the core.

This poem has expressed all that I have been through. Thank you

I connected to this one soo much I cried. I'm the type of person who can't explain how I feel , but this one says it all.

Your poetry is the most beautiful and moving that I have ever heard.

This poem is so powerful! I keep going back to watch this video over and over again.

Pls every poetry need to be on spotify plsss

Where is this girl? I heard this poem years ago in my 20s. As I revisit this years later, I feel this on so many levels. This is brilliant and true.

This poem speaks to me and seems to tell my story. It makes me ache. Thank you for articulating so beautifully what I never could.

Rightfully titled. Broke my heart too.

I don't say these things out loud, so I never knew someone else felt the same way I do. Thank you.

Yes she's back!!

Super powerful. I am completely overwhelmed by this one. I hope it clings to me for a while.

I have watched this at least 10 times since I found it yesterday. I'm in love.

I will never get over how brilliant this poem is.

This has been my favorite for so many years

The way her voice breaks on 2:20 and 2:24 and 2:52 breaks my heart

made me cry. beautiful.

This honestly made me cry

When she said when your father is a first person to teach you how to leave I felt that

Oh my god, this poem is truly incredible!

i have watched this video a thousand times, i now know this poem word for word

"...plot escape routes like past time, force your heart to beat: 'just go, just go, just-'...practice on the ones you love most..that way nothing can hurt you. You cannot break a mangled thing and you don't know the last time your heart sounded like a heart.." "Run your finger over every name that has left your mouth for the last time and tell yourself you have done the right thing" That got me...

It makes me sad about how much I can relate to this poem

"Your father teaches you how to be the first one to walk away, Leave before they realize you were not worth staying for."

i could listen to this a million times, so beautiful

Listening to poetry is the only way I can cry anymore.

OMG. This is on loop for me. Every word she speaks is like double edged sword for me.

Bianca

Sobbing. Those words really got me

i'm in tears.

"Like every plea u will learn how to swallow"....heart sinks a little😖

She is incredible

This was recommended to me by YT but ngl I loved it from bottom of my heart. Every word touched me :)

this poem is a masterpiece. thank you for this. thank you so much for this.

Sadly, I truly relate to it. Beautiful poem.

this girl just intimidates me

This is so true and it frightens me

This is so beautiful. It leaves me speechless

She dropped so much heat with this one. Oh my God.

Every word. Now tears.

Powerful words.

the imagery is incredible, this poem is powerfully sad

Holy crap she amazing

Straight to my heart. Paralyzingly powerful.

I don't think I've ever felt such a connection with a poem before...

Man, she's so amazing

Watching this was the right thing.

really hits home.

My god you are brilliant

*Ow..every word hit to deep.*

this is so incredibly beautiful, button poetry is what poetry is, they have the most beautiful poets :-)))

But this poem has been uploaded already? I just watched it the day before yesterday

This is amazing. I got so emotional. It really touched me.

Right in the feels. I love it.

"You don't know the last time your heart sounded like a heart". Well damn.

Wow just wow!!

Man, oh man... she's good!

I cried.

Such wonderful poems on here! thank you

I got so emotional omg

This is my favorite slam poem

favorite poem.

Love this poem she is really good