TALKING TURKEYS

Benjamin Zephaniah

Be nice to yu turkeys dis Christmas

Cos' turkeys just wanna hav fun
Turkeys are cool, turkeys are wicked
An every turkey has a Mum.
Be nice to yu turkeys dis christmas,
Don't eat it, keep it alive,
It could be yu mate, an not on your plate
Say, Yo! Turkey I'm on your side.
I got lots of friends who are turkeys
An all of dem fear christmas time,
Dey wanna enjoy it, dey say humans destroyed it
An humans are out of dere mind,
Yeah, I got lots of friends who are turkeys
Dey all hav a right to a life,
Not to be caged up an genetically made up
By any farmer an his wife.

Turkeys just wanna play reggae

Turkeys just wanna hip-hop
Can yu imagine a nice young turkey saying,
ÒI cannot wait for de chopÓ,
Turkeys like getting presents, dey wanna watch christmas TV,
Turkeys hav
brains an turkeys feel pain
In many ways like yu an me.

I once knew a turkey called........ Turkey

He said "Benji explain to me please,
Who put de turkey in christmas
An what happens to christmas trees?",
I said "I am not too sure turkey
But itÕs nothing to do wid Christ Mass
Humans get greedy an waste more dan need be
An business men mek loadsa cash'.

Be nice to yu turkey dis christmas

Invite dem indoors fe sum greens
Let dem eat cake an let dem partake
In a plate of organic grown beans,
Be nice to yu turkey dis christmas
An spare dem de cut of de knife,
Join Turkeys United an dey'll be delighted
An yu will mek new friends
'FOR LIFE'.

ANALYSIS
The poem talking turkey by Benjamin Zephaniah has a beautiful message
that is being passed on to all humankind regarding animal killing. He is
straight forward and uses simple language to convey his
message.
In this poem, it is said about Christmas time and how turkeys are considered
to
be a main course for the season. However, from the turkey’s point of view is
what the poet has said all about. Just like us, even they have families and like
for example in line 4 he says” And every turkey has a mum” and they too
would like to have fun and enjoy their life and would never wish to be in
somebody
plate one day.

THE RACE INDUSTRY

The coconuts have got the jobs.
The race industry is a growth industry.
We despairing, they careering.
We want more peace they want more police.
The Uncle Toms are getting paid.
The race industry is a growth industry.
We say sisters and brothers don't fear.
They will do anything for the Mayor.
The coconuts have got the jobs.
The race industry is a growth industry.
They're looking for victims and poets to rent.
They represent me without my consent.
The Uncle Toms are getting paid.
The race industry is a growth industry.
In suits they dither in fear of anarchy.
They take our sufferings and earn a salary.
Steal our souls and make their documentaries.
Inform daily on our community.
Without Black suffering they'd have no jobs.
Without our dead they'd have no office.
Without our tears they'd have no drink.
If they stopped sucking we could get justice.
The coconuts are getting paid.
Men, women and Brixton are being betrayed

ANALYSIS
In this poem Zephaniah bring up a flaw of society and argues how unjust the
system is leading to the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. “the uncle
toms are getting paid” “We despairing, they careering” This shows how certain
groups of society are prospering while other groups are suffering at their
expense. “Without our dead they'd have no office. Without our tears they'd
have no drink.” This part of the poem is showing that the rich could not be
where they are without the poor, and again shows how unfair the system is
for the less fortunate.
THE BRITISH

Take some Picts, Celts and Silures

And let them settle,
Then overrun them with Roman conquerors.

Remove the Romans after approximately 400 years

Add lots of Norman French to some
Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings, then stir vigorously.

Mix some hot Chileans, cool Jamaicans, Dominicans,

Trinidadians and Bajans with some Ethiopians, Chinese,
Vietnamese and Sudanese.

Then take a blend of Somalians, Sri Lankans, Nigerians

And Pakistanis,
Combine with some Guyanese
And turn up the heat.

Sprinkle some fresh Indians, Malaysians, Bosnians,

Iraqis and Bangladeshis together with some
Afghans, Spanish, Turkish, Kurdish, Japanese
And Palestinians
Then add to the melting pot.

Leave the ingredients to simmer.

As they mix and blend allow their languages to flourish

Binding them together with English.

Allow time to be cool.

Add some unity, understanding, and respect for the future,

Serve with justice
And enjoy.

Note: All the ingredients are equally important. Treating one ingredient better
than another will leave a bitter unpleasant taste.

Warning: An unequal spread of justice will damage the people and cause pain.
Give justice and equality to all.

Benjamin Zephaniah