This work was first published in Spread the Word’s Young Writers Collective Anthology, 2025. This anthology stands as a testament to the courage, creativity, and growth of a remarkable group of young poets who have spent seven months exploring the power of language and self-expression. The anthology is more than a collection of poems—it is a celebration of emerging voices, of stories told with boldness and vulnerability.
All of the poems can be read here on our website, or you can download the Young Writer’s Collective Anthology to read as a PDF.
Let the words take over by Precious Ogunlowo
I can’t speak so I’ll write instead
Giving space
Let what’s unsaid be said
If the words take over
If we start to undress
The abuse that I’ve suffered
Heavy traumas well kept
So to you I confide
As I try to express
I behave as I do
From this pain I’ve suppressed
Seared memories of dread
At the hands of _______
stolen innocence addressed
Can you meet me at this address
I can’t address
Emotions
spiralling
Perhaps perplexed
How is it that my caregiver, gave me no care?
Emotions
Spiralling
I’m not depressed
But the feelings
I can’t process
Younger me
I’m burning to protect
Knocked out
Unconscious
Laid bare, on the cold wooden flooring
Understand….
Everything they can’t remember
Is everything I’m struggling to forget
About Precious Ogunlowo
Precious Ogunlowo is a highly commended SLAMbassadors poet, known for her exploration of love, identity, and self-exploration. She holds a BA in Politics and History from LSE, with her work featured in Young Writers anthologies and published on the LSE website. Precious has also worked as a Unit Stills Photographer on a BFI-funded film, and her passion for storytelling extends beyond poetry into visual arts and media.