Elayne Ogbeta

Well, I listened to Benjamin Zephaniah,
And I kept my young turkey alive.
We had a really good blast last Christmas,
With hip-hop and reggae and jive.
...

There was a girl called Dreadilocks
Who went for a walk through the wood.
She soon came across a neat house
And the scent from the house smelt good.
...

My father was a Windrush man,
He came to England in nineteen sixty-four,
Landed at Southampton's port,
A brand new world to explore.
...

Once lived a little black gal
And in de town dem said
Dat she wore a bright red cloak
So dem call her ‘Pickney Red.'
...

‘Jack, Jack, tings don't look good,
We no have no money to buy food
Go to de market, mi don't know how-
But use yu sense and go sell de cow.'
...

Use Your Voice
by Elayne Ogbeta

There's a very quiet monkey
...

Aunt Roachy, a dignified cockroach,
In her armour, glossy brown.
She received a fancy invite,
So she's marching into town.
...

Black Ice was very beautiful
But her mudder had sadly died.
Black Ice had no choice but to live
wid her father's new ugly bride.
...

I sprang from my bed in the dead of the night,
'Cause I heard a big BANG, and it gave me a fright.

So I tiptoed downstairs and was surprised to see,
...

A girl and her mother were very, very poor
Had not a single crumb in their kitchen store.

The girl, one day jumped up and said,
...

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, my beauty so rare
Please will you let down your fine relaxed hair?

Oh no, dear Prince, I can't, I'm afraids,
...

This is the story of the tailor's daughter.
He was known to be a mighty boaster.

Even in the palace, the king was told,
...

This is a most peculiar story
It's all about a boy named Aubrey
Who thought it nothing out of the ordinary
To stuff his face with strawberry after strawberry.
...

I know a place

Far far away
...

Before I go to school
I say good night to mum and dad.
I brush my face
And wash my teeth.
...

Where on earth did this spider come from?
How did it suddenly appear on my wall?
How did it sneak its way in my bedroom?
Which way in did this black spider crawl?
...

Mosquitoes jump
Mosquitoes bite
Like little vampires
In the night
...

Grannies come in all shapes and sizes,
Some use Zimmer frames, others do exercises.
Some splash out with trinkets and toys,
While others are tight as a fist with girls and boys.
...

The
Slithery, slimy, spirally
Snail
Is leaving a
...