0:00:01.066,0:00:04.154
My name is Harry Baker.[br]Harry Baker is my name.

0:00:04.154,0:00:08.867
If your name was Harry Baker,[br]then our names would be the same.

0:00:08.867,0:00:10.307
(Laughter)

0:00:10.307,0:00:12.954
It's a short introductory part.

0:00:12.954,0:00:14.486
Yeah, I'm Harry.

0:00:14.486,0:00:17.063
I study math. I write poetry.

0:00:17.063,0:00:21.266
So I thought I'd start[br]with a love poem about prime numbers.

0:00:21.266,0:00:22.915
(Laughter)

0:00:22.915,0:00:26.281
This is called "59."

0:00:26.281,0:00:26.531
I was going to call it[br]"Prime Time Loving."

0:00:29.097,0:00:31.071
That reaction is why I didn't.

0:00:31.071,0:00:33.300
(Laughter)

0:00:33.300,0:00:36.736
So, "59."

0:00:36.736,0:00:40.219
59 wakes up[br]on the wrong side of the bed,

0:00:40.219,0:00:42.030
Realises all of his hair is on[br]one side of his head,

0:00:42.030,0:00:45.907
Takes – just under a minute – to work out[br]it’s because of the way that he slept,[br]

0:00:45.907,0:00:48.113
He finds some clothes and gets dressed.

0:00:48.113,0:00:50.319
He can’t help but look in the mirror[br]and be subtly impressed

0:00:50.319,0:00:53.012
How he looks rough around the edges[br]and yet casually messed,

0:00:53.012,0:00:54.963
and as he glances out the windows,[br]he sees the sight that he gets blessed

0:00:54.963,0:00:58.005
with a 60 from across the street.

0:00:58.005,0:01:00.698
Now 60 was beautiful,

0:01:00.698,0:01:03.066
With perfectly trimmed cuticles,[br]Dressed in something suitable,

0:01:03.066,0:01:04.993
Never rude or crude at all.[br]Unimprovable,

0:01:04.993,0:01:07.826
Right on time as usual,[br]More on cue than a snooker ball

0:01:07.826,0:01:10.403
But liked to play it super cool.[br]

0:01:10.403,0:01:13.770
59 wanted to tell her[br]that he knew her favourite flower,

0:01:13.770,0:01:16.162
He thought of her every second[br]every minute every hour,

0:01:16.162,0:01:19.041
But he knew it wouldn’t work,[br]he’d never get the girl,

0:01:19.041,0:01:21.386
Because although she lived across the street [br]they came from different worlds.

0:01:21.386,0:01:24.521
While 59 admired 60’s[br]‘perfectly round’ figure,

0:01:24.521,0:01:30.767
60 thought 59 was… odd.

0:01:30.767,0:01:35.712
One of his favourite films[br]was 101 Dalmatians,

0:01:35.712,0:01:38.754
She preferred the sequel.

0:01:38.754,0:01:42.260
He romanticised the idea[br]they were star-crossed lovers,

0:01:42.260,0:01:45.023
They could go against the odds[br]and evens because they had each other,

0:01:45.023,0:01:47.693
While she maintained the strict views[br]imposed upon her by her mother

0:01:47.693,0:01:49.760
That separate could not be equal.

0:01:49.760,0:01:51.548
And though at the time he felt[br]stupid and dumb

0:01:51.548,0:01:53.660
For trying to love a girl controlled[br]by her stupid mum,

0:01:53.660,0:01:55.239
He should have been comforted[br]by the simple sum –

0:01:55.239,0:01:59.419
Take 59 away from 60,[br]and you’re left with the one.

0:01:59.419,0:02:01.787
Sure enough it took him 2 months[br]of moping around,

0:02:01.787,0:02:05.224
61 days later,[br]61 was who he found,

0:02:05.224,0:02:08.149
His next-door neighbour,[br]he went round to her house,

0:02:08.149,0:02:10.082
Because he had lost his keys again[br]and his parents were out.[br]

0:02:10.082,0:02:11.406
As he noticed the slightly wonky[br]numbers on the door,

0:02:11.406,0:02:13.101
He wondered why he’d never[br]introduced himself before,

0:02:13.101,0:02:14.749
As she politely let him in[br]his jaw dropped in awe –

0:02:14.749,0:02:19.858
61 was like 60, with a little bit more.[br](Laughter)

0:02:19.858,0:02:23.480
She had prettier eyes,[br]and an approachable smile,

0:02:23.480,0:02:25.686
And like him, rough-around-the-edges casual style,

0:02:25.686,0:02:27.752
And like him, everything[br]was in disorganise piles,

0:02:27.752,0:02:30.445
And like him, her mum didn’t mind[br]if friends stayed a while.

0:02:30.445,0:02:32.210
Because she was like him, and he liked her.

0:02:32.210,0:02:33.998
He reckoned she would like me[br]if she knew he was like her,

0:02:33.998,0:02:36.506
And it was different this time.[br]I mean, this girl was wicked,

0:02:36.506,0:02:38.526
So he plucked up the courage[br]and asked for her digits.[br]

0:02:38.526,0:02:45.840
She said, "I'm 61."[br]He grinned, said, "I'm 59."

0:02:45.840,0:02:47.233
Today I’ve had a really nice time,

0:02:47.233,0:02:48.696
So tomorrow if you wanted[br]you could come over to mine?

0:02:48.696,0:02:50.809
She said, "Sure."

0:02:50.809,0:02:52.573
She loved talking to someone[br]who was just as quirky,

0:02:52.573,0:02:54.431
She agreed to this unofficial first date.

0:02:54.431,0:02:56.381
In the end he was only[br]ready one minute early,

0:02:56.381,0:02:58.355
But it didn’t matter because[br]she arrived one minute late.

0:02:58.355,0:03:01.629
And from that moment on[br]there was non-stop chatter,

0:03:01.629,0:03:03.974
How they loved X-Factor,[br]how they had two factors,

0:03:03.974,0:03:09.244
How that did not matter –[br]distinctiveness made them better,

0:03:09.244,0:03:11.009
By the end of the night they knew[br]they were meant together.

0:03:11.009,0:03:14.213
And one day she was talking[br]about ‘stuck up 60’,

0:03:14.213,0:03:16.140
She noticed that 59 looked a bit shifty.

0:03:16.140,0:03:18.137
He blushed – told her of his crush:

0:03:18.137,0:03:20.204
“The best thing that never happened,[br]because it led to us”

0:03:20.204,0:03:23.756
61 was clever see,[br]not prone to jealousy,

0:03:23.756,0:03:26.148
She looked him in the eyes[br]and told him quite tenderly,

0:03:26.148,0:03:31.140
You’re 59 I’m 61 together we combine[br]to become twice what 60 could ever be.

0:03:31.140,0:03:34.483
(Laughter)

0:03:34.483,0:03:37.270
At this point 59 had tears in his eyes,

0:03:37.270,0:03:39.058
Was so glad to have[br]this one-of-a-kind girl in his life.

0:03:39.058,0:03:40.938
He told her the very[br]definition of being prime

0:03:40.938,0:03:42.935
Was that with only one[br]and himself could his heart divide,

0:03:42.935,0:03:46.139
And she was the one he felt[br]he could give his heart to,

0:03:46.139,0:03:48.438
She said she felt the same[br]and now she knew the films were half true.

0:03:48.438,0:03:51.689
Because that wasn't real love,[br]that love was just a sample,

0:03:51.689,0:03:56.193
Because when it came to real love,[br]they were a prime example.

0:03:56.193,0:03:57.888
Cheers.

0:03:57.888,0:04:02.648
(Applause)

0:04:08.522,0:04:10.334
That was the first poem that I wrote

0:04:10.334,0:04:13.143
and it was for[br]a prime number-themed poetry night.

0:04:13.143,0:04:14.745
-- (Laughter) --

0:04:14.745,0:04:17.973
which turned out to be[br]a prime number-themed poetry competition.

0:04:17.973,0:04:21.200
And I became a prime number-themed[br]poetry competition winner,

0:04:21.200,0:04:24.869
or as I like to call it,[br]a prime minister. (Laughter)

0:04:24.869,0:04:27.957
And this is how I discovered[br]these things called poetry slams,

0:04:27.957,0:04:29.791
and if you don't know what[br]a poetry slam is,

0:04:29.791,0:04:32.485
it was a format come up with[br]in America 30 years ago

0:04:32.485,0:04:35.457
as a way of tricking people[br]into going to poetry events

0:04:35.457,0:04:38.312
by putting an exciting word[br]like "slam" onto the end.

0:04:38.312,0:04:39.706
(Laughter)

0:04:39.706,0:04:43.328
And each performer got three minutes[br]to perform and then

0:04:43.328,0:04:45.673
random audience members[br]would hold up scorecards,

0:04:45.673,0:04:47.530
and they would end up[br]with a numerical score,

0:04:47.530,0:04:48.738
and what this meant is,

0:04:48.738,0:04:51.153
it kind of broke down the barrier[br]between performer and audience

0:04:51.153,0:04:53.753
and encouraged the kind[br]of connection with the listener.

0:04:53.753,0:04:56.121
And what it also means is you can win.

0:04:56.121,0:05:01.021
And if you win a poetry slam,[br]you can call yourself a slam champion

0:05:01.021,0:05:03.412
and pretend you're a wrestler,

0:05:03.412,0:05:07.476
and if you lose a poetry slam you can say,[br]"Oh, what, poetry's a subjective art form,

0:05:07.476,0:05:09.774
you can't put numbers on such things."

0:05:09.774,0:05:11.957
(Laughter)

0:05:11.957,0:05:13.814
But I loved it, and I[br]got involved in these slams,

0:05:13.814,0:05:16.113
and I became the U.K. slam champion

0:05:16.113,0:05:19.178
and got invited to[br]the Poetry World Cup in Paris,

0:05:19.178,0:05:20.617
which was unbelievable.

0:05:20.617,0:05:23.543
It was people from all around the world[br]speaking in their native languages

0:05:23.543,0:05:26.585
to be judged by five French strangers.

0:05:26.585,0:05:28.744
(Laughter)

0:05:28.744,0:05:32.715
And somehow, I won, which was great,

0:05:32.715,0:05:35.849
and I've been able[br]to travel the world since doing it,

0:05:35.849,0:05:37.892
but it also means that this next piece

0:05:37.892,0:05:41.375
is technically the best poem in the world.

0:05:41.375,0:05:45.369
(Laughter)

0:05:45.369,0:05:46.785
So...

0:05:46.785,0:05:51.638
(Applause)

0:05:51.638,0:05:54.633
According to five French strangers.

0:05:54.633,0:05:58.557
So this is "Paper People."

0:05:58.557,0:06:00.786
I like people.

0:06:00.786,0:06:02.992
I'd like some paper people.

0:06:02.992,0:06:06.173
They’d be purple paper people.[br]Maybe pop up purple paper people.

0:06:06.173,0:06:08.913
Proper pop up purple paper people.

0:06:08.913,0:06:11.839
‘How do you prop up[br]pop up purple paper people?’

0:06:11.839,0:06:14.253
I hear you cry. Well I…

0:06:14.253,0:06:16.831
I’d probably prop up proper[br]pop up purple paper people

0:06:16.831,0:06:20.662
with a proper pop up[br]purple people paperclip,

0:06:20.662,0:06:23.169
but I’d pre-prepare appropriate[br]adhesives as alternatives,

0:06:23.169,0:06:24.981
a cheeky pack of blu tack[br]just in case the paper slipped.

0:06:24.981,0:06:28.254
Because I could build a pop up metropolis.[br]

0:06:28.254,0:06:30.635
but i wouldn’t wanna deal[br]with all the paper people politics.

0:06:30.635,0:06:32.586
paper politicians[br]with their paper-thin policies,

0:06:32.586,0:06:35.720
broken promises[br]without appropriate apologies.

0:06:35.720,0:06:39.575
there’d be a little paper me,[br]and a little paper you,

0:06:39.575,0:06:44.776
and we’d watch paper TV[br]and it would all be paper view. (Laughter)

0:06:44.776,0:06:47.539
we’d watch the poppy paper rappers[br]rap about their paper package

0:06:47.539,0:06:52.879
or watch paper people carriers[br]get stuck in paper traffic on the A4.

0:06:52.879,0:06:55.248
Paper. (Laughter)

0:06:55.248,0:07:00.402
There’d be a paper princess Kate[br]but we’d all stare at paper Pippa,

0:07:00.402,0:07:03.885
and then we’d all live in fear[br]of killer Jack the paper ripper.

0:07:03.885,0:07:06.439
because the paper propaganda[br]propagates the peoples prejudices,

0:07:06.439,0:07:08.645
papers printing pictures[br]of the photogenic terrorists.[br]

0:07:08.645,0:07:11.965
There’d be a little paper me,[br]and a little paper you,

0:07:11.965,0:07:14.218
but in a pop up population[br]people’s problems pop up too.

0:07:14.218,0:07:17.375
there’d be a pompous paper parliament[br]who remained out of touch,

0:07:17.375,0:07:20.092
and who ignored the peoples protests[br]about all the paper cuts,

0:07:20.092,0:07:22.994
and then the peaceful paper protests[br]would get blown to paper pieces,

0:07:22.994,0:07:25.154
by the confetti cannons[br]manned by pre-emptive police.

0:07:25.154,0:07:30.169
and yes there’s still be paper money,[br]so there’d still be paper greed,

0:07:30.169,0:07:32.468
and the paper piggy bankers[br]pocketing more than they need.

0:07:32.468,0:07:34.906
purchasing the potpourri[br]to pepper their paper properties,

0:07:34.906,0:07:36.926
while others live in poverty[br]and ain’t acknowledged properly,

0:07:36.926,0:07:39.178
a proper poor economy[br]where so many are proper poor,

0:07:39.178,0:07:42.823
but while their needs are ignored[br]the money goes to big wars,

0:07:42.823,0:07:45.145
origami armies unfold[br]plans for paper planes

0:07:45.145,0:07:47.305
and we remain imprisoned[br]in our own paper chains,

0:07:47.305,0:07:51.734
but the greater shame[br]is that it always seems to stay the same,

0:07:51.734,0:07:54.242
what changes is who’s in power[br]choosing how to lay the blame,

0:07:54.242,0:07:57.771
they’re naming names,[br]forgetting these are names of people,

0:07:57.771,0:08:00.697
cause in the end[br]it all comes down to people.

0:08:00.697,0:08:02.484
I like people.

0:08:02.484,0:08:05.085
cause even when the situation’s dire,[br]it is only ever people

0:08:05.085,0:08:07.314
who are able to inspire, and on paper –

0:08:07.314,0:08:09.729
it’s hard to see how we all cope,

0:08:09.729,0:08:12.120
but in the bottom of pandora’s box[br]there’s still hope,

0:08:12.120,0:08:14.953
and i still hope cause i[br]believe in people.

0:08:14.953,0:08:17.275
People like my Grandparents.

0:08:17.275,0:08:21.361
who every single day since i was born[br]have taken time out of their morning to pray for me.

0:08:21.361,0:08:26.052
that’s 7892 days straight of someone[br]checking i’m okay and that’s amazing.

0:08:26.052,0:08:30.417
people like my aunt who puts on[br]plays with prisoners.

0:08:30.417,0:08:32.901
people who are capable[br]of genuine forgiveness.

0:08:32.901,0:08:35.270
people like the persecuted Palestinians[br]people out of their way

0:08:35.270,0:08:37.334
to make your life better[br]and expect nothing in return.

0:08:37.334,0:08:41.583
you see people[br]have potential to be powerful.[br]

0:08:41.583,0:08:43.928
and just because the people in power[br]tend to pretend to be victims

0:08:43.928,0:08:46.250
we don’t need to succumb to the system.

0:08:46.250,0:08:48.595
and a paper population is no different.

0:08:48.595,0:08:52.543
there’s be a little paper me[br]and a little paper you,

0:08:52.543,0:08:54.911
and in a pop up population[br]peoples problems pop up too

0:08:54.911,0:08:58.324
but even if the whole world fell apart[br]then we’d still make it through

0:08:58.324,0:09:00.785
because we’re people.

0:09:00.785,0:09:03.247
Thank you.

0:09:03.247,0:09:07.496
(Applause)

0:09:19.268,0:09:21.543
Thank you very much.[br]I've just got time for one more.

0:09:21.543,0:09:25.328
For me, poetry has been the ultimate way[br]of kind of ideas without frontiers.

0:09:25.328,0:09:27.650
When I first started, the people[br]who inspired me were the ones

0:09:27.650,0:09:32.015
with the amazing stories, and I thought,[br]as an 18-year old with a happy life,

0:09:32.015,0:09:33.571
it was too normal,

0:09:33.571,0:09:37.007
but I could kind of create these worlds[br]where I could talk about my experiences

0:09:37.007,0:09:38.331
and dreams and beliefs.

0:09:38.331,0:09:41.326
So it's amazing to be here[br]in front of you today.

0:09:41.326,0:09:42.742
Thank you for being here.

0:09:42.742,0:09:44.019
If you weren't here,

0:09:44.019,0:09:46.759
it would be pretty much[br]like the soundcheck yesterday.

0:09:46.759,0:09:48.826
(Laughter)

0:09:48.826,0:09:51.403
And this is more fun.

0:09:51.403,0:09:53.353
So this last one is called[br]"The Sunshine Kid."

0:09:53.353,0:09:56.697
Thank you very much for listening.

0:09:56.697,0:10:00.087
Old man sunshine was proud of his sun,

0:10:00.087,0:10:02.943
And it brightened his day[br]to see his little boy run,

0:10:02.943,0:10:05.079
Not because of what he’d done,[br]nor the problems overcome,

0:10:05.079,0:10:07.424
But that despite that his disposition[br]remained a sunny one.

0:10:07.424,0:10:10.860
It hadn’t always been like this.

0:10:10.860,0:10:13.461
There’d been times when he’d tried[br]to hide his brightness,

0:10:13.461,0:10:15.597
You see, every star[br]hits periods of hardship,

0:10:15.597,0:10:18.801
It takes a brighter light[br]to inspire them through the darkness.

0:10:18.801,0:10:21.355
If we go back to when[br]he was born in a nebula,

0:10:21.355,0:10:23.074
We know that he never[br]was thought of as regular,

0:10:23.074,0:10:25.210
Because he had a flair about him,

0:10:25.210,0:10:26.765
To say the Midas touch is wrong

0:10:26.765,0:10:29.203
but all he went near[br]seemed to turn a little bronze,

0:10:29.203,0:10:32.617
Yeah this sun was loved[br]by some more than others,

0:10:32.617,0:10:34.869
It was a case of Joseph[br]and his dreamcoat and his brothers

0:10:34.869,0:10:37.446
Because standing out from the crowd[br]had its pros and its cons,

0:10:37.446,0:10:39.536
And jealousy created enemies[br]in those he outshone

0:10:39.536,0:10:41.417
Such as the Shadow People.

0:10:41.417,0:10:43.878
Now the Shadow People[br]didn’t like the Sunshine Kid,

0:10:43.878,0:10:46.455
Because he showed up the dark things[br]the Shadow People did,

0:10:46.455,0:10:46.705
And when he shone he showed[br]the places where the Shadow People hid,

0:10:49.799,0:10:50.983
So the Shadow People had[br]an evil plan to get rid of him,

0:10:50.983,0:10:54.837
First up – they made fun of his sunspots,

0:10:54.837,0:10:57.525
Shooting his dreams from the sky,[br]their words were gunshots,

0:10:57.525,0:11:00.103
Designed to remind him[br]he wasn’t very cool

0:11:00.103,0:11:02.587
And he didn’t fit in with any[br]popular kids at school.

0:11:02.587,0:11:06.232
They said his head was up in space[br]and they would bring him down to earth,

0:11:06.232,0:11:08.903
Essentially he came from nothing[br]and that is what he was worth,

0:11:08.903,0:11:10.667
He’d never get to go[br]to university to learn,

0:11:10.667,0:11:12.896
Only degrees he’d ever show[br]would be the 1st degree burns

0:11:12.896,0:11:15.404
From those that came too close,

0:11:15.404,0:11:17.052
they told him he was too bright,

0:11:17.052,0:11:19.049
That’s why no-one ever[br]looked him in the eyes,

0:11:19.049,0:11:20.791
His judgement became clouded

0:11:20.791,0:11:22.695
So did the sky,[br]With evaporated tears

0:11:22.695,0:11:24.158
as the sun started to cry.

0:11:24.158,0:11:29.405
Because the sunshine kid was bright,[br]with a warm personality,

0:11:29.405,0:11:31.332
and inside he burned savagely -

0:11:31.332,0:11:33.701
Hurt by the words and curses[br]of the shadowy folk

0:11:33.701,0:11:36.278
who spoke holes in his soul[br]and left cavities,

0:11:36.278,0:11:40.016
and as his heart hardened,[br]his spark darkened,

0:11:40.016,0:11:43.220
Every time they called him names[br]it cooled his flames,

0:11:43.220,0:11:45.147
He thought they might like him[br]if he kept his light dim

0:11:45.147,0:11:48.468
But they were busy telling lightning[br]she had terrible aim,

0:11:48.468,0:11:51.254
He couldn’t quite get to grips[br]with what they said,

0:11:51.254,0:11:54.296
So he let his light be eclipsed[br]by what they said,

0:11:54.296,0:11:56.455
He fell into a Lone Star State like Texas,

0:11:56.455,0:11:58.661
And felt like he’d been punched[br]in his solar plexus.

0:11:58.661,0:12:03.398
But that’s when[br]Little Miss Sunshine came along

0:12:03.398,0:12:05.650
Singing her favourite song[br]about how we’re made to be strong,

0:12:05.650,0:12:09.156
And you don’t have to be wrong to belong,[br]Just be true to who you are,

0:12:09.156,0:12:11.362
because we are all stars at heart.

0:12:11.362,0:12:15.193
Little miss sunshine was hot stuff -

0:12:15.193,0:12:17.458
The kind of girl when you looked at her

0:12:17.458,0:12:19.524
you forgot stuff,

0:12:19.524,0:12:21.614
But for him, there was no forgetting her,

0:12:21.614,0:12:23.425
The minute he saw her[br]her image burned in his retina,

0:12:23.425,0:12:26.467
She was out of this world,[br]and she accepted him,

0:12:26.467,0:12:28.580
Something about this girl meant he knew[br]whenever she was next to him,

0:12:28.580,0:12:30.321
Things weren’t as dark as they seemed,[br]and he dared to dream,

0:12:30.321,0:12:32.985
Shadows were nowhere to be seen;[br]when she was there he beamed,

0:12:32.985,0:12:37.048
His eyes would light up[br]in ways that can’t be faked,

0:12:37.048,0:12:39.417
When she grinned her rays erased[br]the razor-tipped words of hate,

0:12:39.417,0:12:43.085
They gave each other nicknames[br]they were ‘cool star’ and ‘fun sun’,

0:12:43.085,0:12:46.615
And gradually the shadowy[br]damage became undone,

0:12:46.615,0:12:51.212
She was one in a septillion,[br]and she was brilliant,

0:12:51.212,0:12:53.371
Could turn the coldest blooded[br]reptilians vermillion,

0:12:53.371,0:12:56.408
Loved by billions,[br]from Chileans to Brazilians,

0:12:56.408,0:12:58.730
And taught the Sunshine Kid[br]the meaning of resilience.

0:12:58.730,0:13:01.562
She said: “All the darkness in the world

0:13:01.562,0:13:04.836
cannot put out the light[br]from a single candle

0:13:04.836,0:13:07.646
So how the hell can they[br]handle your light?

0:13:07.646,0:13:09.875
Only you can choose to dim it,[br]and the sky is the limit,

0:13:09.875,0:13:12.452
so silence the critics by burning.”

0:13:12.452,0:13:14.611
And if eyes are windows to the soul[br]then she drew back the curtains

0:13:14.611,0:13:16.841
And let the sunshine[br]through the hurting.

0:13:16.841,0:13:19.789
In a universe of adversity[br]these stars stuck together,

0:13:19.789,0:13:22.065
And though days became nights[br]the memories would last forever,

0:13:22.065,0:13:24.131
Whether the weatherman[br]said it or not, it would be fine,

0:13:24.131,0:13:26.128
Cause even behind the clouds[br]the kid could still shine.

0:13:26.128,0:13:30.331
Yes, the Sunshine Kid was bright,[br]with a warm personality,

0:13:30.331,0:13:32.188
And inside he burned savagely,

0:13:32.188,0:13:35.532
Fueled by the fire[br]inspired across galaxies

0:13:35.532,0:13:38.318
By the girl who showed him belief.

0:13:38.318,0:13:41.058
Thank you very much.

0:13:41.058,0:13:47.722
(Applause)