Benjamin Zephaniah has died

[Glitterbiscuits]

I just read this.

I always found him interesting. I think it probably because I'm a white woman that grew up in a white area I needed to hear about the experiences of others whose lives were different from mine.

@VelvetVoice I've just shared a video of him performing that on Facebook. Shows the sense of fun alongside passion.

That's so sad. He really brought poetry into the 21st century for many people.

I judged him by the way he wrote about it.

He was at one time a very angry man, he beat a girlfriend - his words.

In later life his regret over that made it difficult for him to be a mediator, it made him feel bad, it made his work, his life more complicated.

His regret was because of how it made him feel!

I realised that maybe he was little different from other abusers.

I loved his work. RIP

Oh nooooo. How sad. He was no great age and such a wonderful poet.

It was a blessing. He didnt have time to suffer.

Not that I would have him gone. I would have him hale and doing what he loved.

RIP B.Z.

So sad to hear this, met him several times and he was a delightful, gentle soul who truly cared about the planet and the life on the planet . His poetry is accessible, funny, touching and truthful. He overcame huge obstacles in his life and was rewarded not with enormous riches but with the love, respect and admiration of many . He will be greatly missed. Condolences to his family and friends.

So sad his poem about Turkey's is really beautiful thought provoking.

Oh no, he received an honorary degree from my uni the year I graduated, he was speaking at my ceremony and he was wonderful, he was so engaging and animated! He came out and did the hat toss with us and he was so humble and was chatting away to everyone.

Really sad news.

Sad news.
Maybe he had a checkered past but essentially he was a kind soul I think. He brought accessible socially conscious poetry to the people, lived in China for some time and learnt Mandarin, refused an OBE....an interesting life.

That is such willfully bad paraphrasing. For starters you missed out that he was 15 years old at the time of this abuse and had himself experienced domestic abuse from his own father..

Oh this is very sad. Like so many here, I was introduced to his poetry at school and fell in love with it. He was a unique voice (still is, poetry never dies) and a good, principled man. 65 is much, much too young. From one Brummie to another, R.I.P.

He's only 65!!! 😪

He was only 65 years old! The past few weeks we have had a lot of people in the public eye die young.

I saw him at a poetry concert in the late 80s. I’ve been hooked ever since. Such sad news.

I am so sad to hear this news. I was a teacher for decades and whatever year group I had over the years I always shared the poem Talking Turkeys every Christmas and the children loved it and many children would read more of his excellent poems based on this poem. He will be sadly missed.

My brother met him Lovely man, gone too soon. R.I.P.

Such a decent and talented man.
He had a tough start in life and in his youth did some things he later regretted. As an adult, he was a wonderful person and continued to grow, learn and make the world a better place.

I have many of his books and listened to him often.

He is gone far too soon.

I just saw a bit on YouTube about his death and some of the racist comments underneath are absolutely sickening.

The Black Writers guild said he was "an example of how to live your values" which, I think, is perfect. R.I.P.

I will miss his voice.

My sister is a beautiful girl
she don't want to be Miss World
her value is not prize money
more value than a pearl
my sister is a beautiful girl
human delight
she could be out of sight but she would rather stay and fight.

Her legs are firm and strong
best for self-defence
my sister kicks like wildfire
so cause her no grievance
she won't walk the platform
to upsex people's lust
and you can't get the number of her height, age or bust,
she don't want to go to the market
to be viewed like a slave
the viewing time is over
put de judge in the grave,
she don't need to go to the market
'cause she's already won
beauty contest no contest
she don't need to run.

My sister is a beautiful girl
But she don't want to be Miss World
her personality cannot be rewarded by no judge or earl.

My sister is a beautiful girl
She needs no contest
and you can't put her with another judging who's the best.
And you cannot judge my sister's heart
By looking at her breasts.

I don’t know about his personal life but certainly enjoyed his poetry and his general outlook and public demeanour. A loss to the world of poetry.

Really shocked to hear this sad news.

If you’re going to google at least learn to read and comprehend.
He didn’t say it made it difficult to be a ‘mediator’. He said his anger made it difficult for him to meditate.
He spoke about how he regretted it and it burned his conscience. Despite growing up in violence he learnt that he could change and break the cycle. He personally apologised to the woman involved and then began to support and donate funds to women’s refuges. So no, I don’t think he was ‘little different from other abusers’.

I appreciate how much he spoke about his dyslexia. It helped me feel less alone when I was struggling.
I've never been into poetry but I devoured his YA book Face in about a day. Such an inspiration and sadly missed.