I used to think poets were boring
Benjamin Zephaniah was grace and wonder
Poet, writer, performer and actor Benjamin Zephaniah has died after a sudden illness at the age of 65. He had been diagnosed with a brain tumour just eight weeks ago.
Dis poetry
Zephaniah was born and raised in Handsworth, Birmingham (England), the son of a postman from Barbados and a Jamaican nurse. He was dyslexic, leaving school aged 13, unable to read or write.
Everything about Benjamin Zephaniah was "grace and wonder," his friend and collaborator Pogus Cesar said. "His words were just so powerful, so beautiful, so eloquent."
I used to think nurses were women.
I used to think po-lice were men
I used to think poets were boring
Until I became one of dem
Be nice to yu turkeys dis Christmas
As well as being a poet, Zephania wrote five novels. He also wrote several poetry books for children. His acting career included a role in the long-running drama Peaky Blinders, set in his own home area of Birmingham.
He was included in The Times list of Britain's top 50 post-war writers in 2008.
To stay healthy you gotta read at least a poem a day
More about the life of Benjamin Zephania from the BBC
Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah (15 April 1958 – 7 December 2023)
Please read: Elaine Sihera's wonderful memories and tribute
About the Creator
Raymond G. Taylor
Author based in Kent, England. A writer of fictional short stories in a wide range of genres, he has been a non-fiction writer since the 1980s. Non-fiction subjects include art, history, technology, business, law, and the human condition.
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Comments (6)
Nice tribute story 💗
A lovely tribute to a lovely man. I met him once ❤
I am truly grateful I ran across your honourable review of such brilliance. I am going to dig in and learn more about him. Are his books out in libraries? Excellent work, Raymond.
That's just so sad. Rest in peace, Benjamin Zephaniah. For someone who's dyslexic, he sure broke so many stereotypes!
You can learn a lot of things and learn about other ideas from poets.
What a loss for the art community and for those who loved him. A wonderful talent, and thanks for this tribute to a wonderful poet.