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The British by Benjamin Zephaniah

10/11/2008 11:59:35 PM
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Benjamin Zephaniah
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The British
 
  Take some Picts, Celts and Silures
And let them settle,
Then overrun them with Roman conquerors.

Remove the Romans after approximately 400 years
Add lots of Norman French to some
Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings, then stir vigorously.

Mix some hot Chileans, cool Jamaicans, Dominicans,
Trinidadians and Bajans with some Ethiopians, Chinese,
Vietnamese and Sudanese.

Then take a blend of Somalians, Sri Lankans, Nigerians
And Pakistanis,
Combine with some Guyanese
And turn up the heat.

Sprinkle some fresh Indians, Malaysians, Bosnians,
Iraqis and Bangladeshis together with some
Afghans, Spanish, Turkish, Kurdish, Japanese
And Palestinians
Then add to the melting pot.

Leave the ingredients to simmer.

As they mix and blend allow their languages to flourish
Binding them together with English.

Allow time to be cool.

Add some unity, understanding, and respect for the future,
Serve with justice
And enjoy.

Note: All the ingredients are equally important. Treating one ingredient better than another will leave a bitter unpleasant taste.

Warning: An unequal spread of justice will damage the people and cause pain. Give justice and equality to all.

Benjamin Zephaniah


Read poems about / on: justice, warning, respect, together, future, people, pain

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Comments about this poem (The British by Benjamin Zephaniah)  more comments >>
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Ewa Espling (5/28/2008 2:04:00 PM)
you have mix't it well: O) even from a swedish point of view......
I enjoy reading your poems alot...And hope one day they become a reality... keep on going.. :)
Bill Thomas (2/8/2008 5:32:00 AM)
Wonderful stuff: as a history teacher introducing Year 7s to the waves of invasions from Romans to Normans, I find your poem sums things up brilliantly, not just the past, but where we are now, & where we should be going. Thank you.

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10/11/2008 11:59:35 PM. You Are Here: The British by Benjamin Zephaniah

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