I am a poet and spoken-word writer. I write in free verse— unstructured, instinct-led, and emotionally raw. I write about the inner world— the thoughts we carry quietly, the feelings that do not always have language. My work is raw but controlled. Emotional but grounded. It is not performance for shock. It is honesty, shaped carefully. I write for people who feel deeply, think differently, and do not always see themselves reflected in neat sentences. I write so the quite parts of people feel less alone.

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Being a Dyslexic Poet and Proud of it.

I am dyslexic, and it shapes how I write, how I think, and how I see the world.

Words do not always arrive in neat lines or perfect order for me.

They come in feelings, images, fragments, and rhythm first.

I write from that place-the place before polish.

My poetry does not aim for perfection.

It aims for truth

Dyslexia has taught me to trust instinct over structure, emotion over rules.

It is why my work is raw, human, and unfiltered.

Why silence, pause, and repetition matter as much as the words themselves.

I write for people who think differently.

For those who feel deeply but struggle to explain why.

For anyone who has ever been told they are “too much” or “not enough”.

Because their mind works another way.

This is not something I hide.

It is part of my voice.

And I am proud of it.

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The Struggles That Come With Dyslexia

Dyslexia is not just about spelling or reading.

It means working harder to say the same thing.

Second-guessing words you already know.

Reading the same sentence again and again, still unsure if it stayed put.

It means ideas moving faster than language can catch them.

Thoughts pilling up while the page stays quiet.

Knowing what you want to say and fighting to make it visible.

There is frustration in that exhaustion.

And years of being misunderstood as careless, slow or not trying hard enough.

School did not make room for how my mind works.

Neither did the systems built around neat rules and quick answers.

So I learned to adapt in silence.

Even now writing takes more energy than people realise.

Every piece cost focus, patience, and courage.

But I write anyway.

Because my voice matters.

Even when it arrives differently.

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Recognition

Some of my work has been recognised within poetry communities.

The pieces are shared below

Poet of the Week — The Slow Disappearance (May 2026)

View Poem

The Slow Disappearance

It didn’t happen all at once,

It never does…

It never starts

With chains around your wrists

Or bruises loud enough

For strangers to notice.

It starts quietly —

A comment about your clothes:

“That makes you look fat.”

A sigh when you laugh too loudly:

“It wasn’t that funny.”

A question about who keeps texting you:

“You seeing someone else?”

Then suddenly

You’re explaining yourself

For existing.

You shrink little by little,

Eventually trading freedom for peace,

Mistaking control

For care.

Your world grows smaller.

Friends disappear.

Dreams get packed away

Like winter coats on a rainy day.

You no longer have permission

To wear what you want —

Permission!?

And the cruelest part?

They call it love.

They say it’s protection,

Say nobody understands you

The way they do.

Meanwhile

You lose your voice so slowly,

You almost don’t notice.

The silence replacing it, until one day

You look in the mirror

And realise

You’ve become a stranger

Inside your own life.

🖤 © NCarolAkinfolarin2026 🪶

#DislexicPoet

26/05/26

Fractured Mind Collection

Weekly Contest The Power of Forgiveness — April 2026

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The Power of Forgiveness

They talk about forgiveness

Like it is holy,

Like it arrives soft,

Covered in light

And gentle understanding.

But mine did not come like that.

Mine came angry.

Shaking.

With tears in its mouth

And memory in its bones.

Mine came after nights

Of replaying the damage,

After my body remembered

What my mind

Kept trying to bury.

They said,

Forgive and be free.

But freedom did not come

When I excused you.

It came

When I stopped carrying

What belonged to you.

Forgiveness

Was never saying

It didn’t hurt.

It was saying,

I will not let your cruelty

Live in me forever.

I do not forgive

Because you earned it.

I forgive

Because I am tired

Of dragging your ghost

Through my body and soul.

And even then —

Forgiveness does not mean

You get to return.

It does not mean

I forget the wreckage

You left behind.

It does not mean

I hand you the key

To what you broke.

It only means

I am choosing, slowly,

To stop drinking poison

Just because you gave it to me.

That is the power of forgiveness —

Not mercy for you,

But release for me

So I may find my peace.

🖤 © NCarolAkinfolarin2026 🪶

#DislexicPoet

07/04/26

(Fractured Mind Collection)

Star Poet It’s Unhealthy — November 2025

View Poem

It’s Unhealthy

I keep telling myself to leave,

Then you smile and your eyes sparkle,

And I forget the reason I wanted to go.

Every argument fades under your touch,

Every warning turns soft in your voice.

You break me in pieces,

Then piece me back together,

And I call it love.

I know it’s unhealthy —

The way I wait for pain

Like it’s proof you still care.

You say we’re fire and flame,

And maybe that’s true,

But I’m the one who’s

Left burning longer.

I don’t know if I love you,

Or just the part of me

That keeps trying to fix you.

Either way, it’s killing something

Inside me slowly,

And I still can’t walk away.

🖤 © NCarolAkinfolarin2025 🪶

#DislexicPoet

(Fractured Mind Collection)

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The Lie on the shelves of a local UK library.

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About Natasha C. Akinfolarin

Natasha C. Akinfolarin, known as #DislexicPoet, is a contemporary poet and author whose work has reached millions of readers across digital platforms. Over the years, Natasha’s poetry has resonated widely, reaching multi-million cumulative views across platforms. Several works have exceeded 100k–300k+ reach, with continued organic growth through shares, searches, and reader recommendations.

Source: Platform post insights and engagement data combined with conservative lifetime reach estimates based on documented viral milestones and share distribution.

She writes raw, honest poetry, unfiltered and deeply human. Her work explores survival, trauma, narcissistic abuse, mental health, heartbreak, resilience, and healing.

Seventeen years clean and sober, she carries the same fire that now fuels her poetry.

She does not hide her dyslexia. It shapes her rhythm, her spacing, and the way emotion lands on the page. What some may see as imperfection, she sees as truth.

Through written poetry and spoken-word performances shared across Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and her website, she gives a voice to the silent and offers hope to those who have suffered in isolation.

Natasha C. Akinfolarin writes under the name #DislexicPoet, creating raw, reflective poetry that explores survival, identity, and the hidden landscapes of the human mind. Her work often moves between personal experience and deeper philosophical questions about what it means to be human.

Natasha studied philosophy and research methodology at university and later completed extensive training in substance misuse and recovery support. These areas of study continue to shape the way she explores human behaviour, trauma, resilience, and transformation.

This is not poetry for decoration.
This is poetry for survival.

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Where survival turns into ink