“The Song of the Prettybird” is a performance poem I wrote for the College Union Poetry Slam Invitational in 2016. It was the first year my university sent students to the international spoken word competition. We were a ragtag bunch with no idea what we were doing.

Much to my surprise, judges selected the piece to be showcased during competition finals. That performance was recorded by Button Poetry and subsequently published in the summer of 2016. It garnered around 200,000 views in a matter of weeks.

Then, in 2021, Content Creator Madeline Ford read my poem on TikTok, and its virality was renewed. Across platforms, “Song of the Prettybird” has been heard over 10 million times and periodically resurges in popularity.

Often, folks find my website because they want to know more about this poem, they want an official transcript, or they’d like to perform it in a speech and debate competition. I wrote the piece only to be performed, rather than read, so it has no official literary publication. You can, however, download the official transcript of Song of the Prettybird by clicking here.

I love when students perform the poem in competitions or use it for other creative endeavors. You’re welcome to use this work for any not-for-profit activity. I’d be ecstatic to see your rendition of the poem or art inspired by it; you can email me here!

If you are interested in using this transcript in a for-profit endeavor, contact me here to discuss licensing.