Benjamin Zephaniah
"My chosen portrait, of someone who makes me feel good" by Michelle Hubbard
BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH
Continues to inspire
Me.
He’s a person
Who tells it like it is
And how it ought to be
He doesn’t beat around the bush
Delivering his truth to us.
He remains true to himself.
I respect that
I accept that
We are both RASTA poets
Delivering lyrical truths
He’s a humble man
A lyrical soldier
Living this life
As a dreadlock Rasta
Writing about everyday issues
In a most creative and captivating way
Consciously selecting
The things he needs to say
I enjoy reading his works
He’s a positive Black male role model
Sometimes he hits were it hurts
He won’t let your brain remain idle
I would love to sit and talk with him,
over dinner.
Sharing finest poetry with him,
‘coz he’s a winner!
(but I’m a vegetarian
- and I’ve never been a librarian)
So who knows where we would start!
I took a trip to London
To see what I could see
And EVENTUALLY I found him
In the national Portrait Gallery
Nurtured in inner-city Birmingham
And the whole country knows his name
Yet still he remains humble,
Still a Rasta,
Unchanged by his fame.
He inspires me
‘coz he got where he wanted to me
without turning his back
on his community
BENJAMIN!
RESPECT TO HIM!
Proud of his identity
Lyrics with an honesty
He doesn’t need to compromise
He’s not afraid to analyse
He’s proof that you don’t have to conform
That Black poetry is a respectable form
That things don’t always fit in with the ‘norm’
We all need something to kindle our fire
It’s not that Mister ‘Shakespeare’ was a liar
But I belong in the lyrics of Benjamin Zephaniah
