Benjamin Zephaniah

(15 April 1958 / Birmingham)

poet Benjamin Zephaniah
#31 on top 500 poets
Benjamin Zephaniah
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Benjamin Zephaniah Poems

  • The British  Take some Picts, Celts and Silures And let them ...
  • Talking Turkeys!  Be nice to yu turkeys dis christmas Cos' ...
  • Dis Poetry  Dis poetry is like a riddim dat drops De tongue ...
  • We Refugees  I come from a musical place Where they shoot me ...
  • White Comedy  I waz whitemailed By a white witch, Wid white ...
  • Nature Trail  At the bottom of my garden There's a hedgehog ...
  • The Race Industry  The coconuts have got the jobs. The race ...
All poems of Benjamin Zephaniah »


Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah is a British Jamaican Rastafarian writer and dub poet. He is a well-known figure in contemporary English literature, and was included in The Times list of Britain's top 50 post-war writers in 2008.

Life and Work

Zephaniah was born and raised in the Handsworth district of Birmingham, which he called the "Jamaican capital of Europe". He is the son of a Barbadian postman and a Jamaican nurse. A dyslexic, he attended an approved school but left aged 13 unable to read or write.

He writes that his poetry is strongly influenced by the music and poetry of Jamaica and what he calls "street politics". His first ... more »

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Comments about Benjamin Zephaniah

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  • lil pump (6/17/2018 6:16:00 AM)

    he can rhyme better than me

    1 person liked.
    		0 person did not like.
  • D’anton (6/13/2018 7:57:00 AM)

    He is very funny and likes reggae

    3 person liked.
    		1 person did not like.
  • elysha (6/6/2018 4:37:00 AM)

    really good
    love that song

    2 person liked.
    		3 person did not like.
  • loly pop (5/24/2018 5:54:00 AM)

    I love this dude he is a rastaferian [3

    5 person liked.
    		2 person did not like.
  • trh56 (5/22/2018 10:49:00 AM)

    he is such a great poet.

    4 person liked.
    		3 person did not like.
  • bobobbob (5/22/2018 8:19:00 AM)

    I am in class getting facts about him he is 60

    7 person liked.
    		2 person did not like.
  • scott (5/16/2018 5:42:00 AM)

    car to hopedall
    i luf yoowprick

    4 person liked.
    		10 person did not like.
  • David Cartledge (4/29/2018 2:54:00 AM)

    I once heard a Benjamin Zephaniah reciting one of his poems, maybe on BBC Newsnight. There was a refrain something like, I love the grey I'm here to stay. My wife and I loved it and want to find it.

    8 person liked.
    		9 person did not like.
  • LilKitty (4/25/2018 8:55:00 PM)

    i need to know.... like very soon...... or any poems about magic?

    4 person liked.
    		16 person did not like.
  • LilKitty (4/25/2018 5:06:00 PM)

    or even magic? ? ? like my school is having a costume thing soon and i need to find a poem to match my costume (a benjamin zephaniah poem) and my costume is luna lovegood from harry potter

    10 person liked.
    		7 person did not like.
Read all 44 comments »
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Best Poem of Benjamin Zephaniah

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, ...

Read the full of The British

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