Benjamin Zephaniah, Britain's Top Rasta Poet! (Alive now!) Options

[Guest_Jox_*]

Hi,

I have long loved (Yes, I think I am in love with it - it is warm, it is caring and it is wonderful) the work of Dr Benjamin Zephaniah (BZ). He usually uses very simple language in amazing ways. For me, he is the romantic antidote to all the traditionally romantic poems which everybody but me seems to like.

Until I read the potted biography on the jacket of my latest acquisition, I did not realise that  BZ was born in Birmingham in 1958... same year as me and only about forty miles away. I appreciate this means nothing to anyone else but, for me, it adds even more interest... He has had the literary courage to write in a way I am only just discovering (though I’ll be about 930 years old before I achieve half his skill).

As BZ is very much alive (a change from all those long dead poets) I cannot quote whole poems (copyright). However, I can use excerpts and I can also refer you to BZ’s own website. The following link is directly to some of his poems - you’ll have to navigate back to his Home Page if you need that.

BZ's Poems - Direct link to samples from his own web site

However, before I leave you to browse, I’ll just give you a flavour of his work... (All from his Little Book of Vegan Poems - available from Amazon.co.uk)

Mr Money - one verse of ten...

I have the latest, fastest car
To show others my wealth,
This car can take me far
But it can’t help me face myself

Remember I Never Forget - one verse of six

I’m an elephant
I never forget
I have a toy bath
And I have a train set,
I have a computer with a memory
But it cannot remember a thing without me,

Vegan Kisses - one verse of six

Every day a vegan poet
Has to have a vegan kiss
And if the poet doesn’t get it
The poet knows something’s amiss,
A vegan kiss is really special
A vegan kiss is where it’s at
A vegan kiss is very luving
For it contains no animal fat.