Benjamin Zephaniah Quotes

This planet is for everyone, borders are for no one. It's all about freedom.

Don't give me truth, just give me gossip And skeletons from people's closets, I wanna be normal And millions buy it, I am blinded by The SUN.

Living rooms are arranged around the TV, but when you take away the box you have the freedom to arrange the room to suit yourself.

real men cry, real men have feelings.

Now The Head Lines How do you like your truth? Gently spoken on breakfast TV By a man and a woman who sit comfortably Saying riots, and murder, when will it end? As they struggle to act as if they are good friends. How do you like your truth? Bite-sized in sound bites cut easy to chew, With a talking head saying the victim's like you And when you've digested the horrors you've seen You find good, you find evil, and no in-between. How do you like your truth? Fantastic, sensational, printed in bold, Today it's exclusive, tomorrow it's old, All on the surface with nothin too deep With a story about animals to help you to sleep How do you like your youth? From perfect families with parents thet care, Or in perfect families but still in despair, Ten out of ten parents say they'd not choose To have bad kids like those in the news.

martin learnt quickly to take every day as it came and never expect one day to be the same as the last

School was preparation for the future... and he had no intention to go into the future unprepared.

I think they had something to do with the killing of Mr. Joseph, miss." She laughed, as all adults seem to do when they don't believe something.

Nothing is as it seems. Seeing is not believing. Sometimes... you have to feel, touch, experience... and use your intelligence.

Listen, geezer,

A few years ago if yu said yu were Green Yu were really seen as Red.

My name is Alem Kelo. I live with the Fitzgeralds, my foster family, at 202 Meanly Road, Manor Park, London. I have also lived in Ethiopia and Eritrea. I have spent a few nights in a hotel in Datchet, one night in a children’s home in Reading, and for a short while I stayed in a hotel in Forest Gate, which was a bit rough. I have stayed in all these places in the last year. To be really honest I would prefer to live in Africa with my mother and my father but they have both been killed and there is war in my country. Things are very hard for me. Look at me, look at all the things that I am capable of, and think of all the things you could call me – a student, a lover of literature, a budding architect,

˜ Life After Death

But Robert, don’t you think it’s a bit cold to just hang out? If we hang out for long enough we will freeze.

De young an old are doing it I have a rappin mudder Everybody has dere rap so let's rap to each other No matter what yu style or de hat dat yu are wearing Yu can even get away wida little swearing, Fuck.

know what I must do, Father,’ he said, still looking into his father’s eyes. ‘I must represent Mother’s ideas, I should promote her dream.’ His father smiled. ‘You got it, young man! You do that and that will mean that she lives. Now,’ he said, standing up, ‘I’m told that I will get some financial help next week. My money is running out but I have enough to get some food for the time being. So let’s go shopping.

Reminders ‘The peace garden is opposite the War Memorial,’ Said the old soldier. ‘We had to fight to make peace Back in the good old days.’ ‘No, the War Memorial is opposite the peace garden,’ Said the old pacifist. ‘You’ve had so many wars to end all wars, Still millions are dying from the wars you left behind.’ ‘Look,’ said the old soldier. ‘You chickens stuck your peace garden In front of our War Memorial to cause non-violent trouble. This War Memorial is necessary, It reminds us that people have died for our country.’ ‘Look,’ said the old pacifist, ‘In the beginning was peace And the peace was with God And the peace was God, This peace garden is unnecessary but It reminds us that people want to live for our country.

Poet and novelist Benjamin Zephaniah is dyslexic and can’t even read his own novels