Benjamin Zephaniah

Benjamin Zephaniah es un autor y músico nacido en Birmingham de padres jamaiquinos. Su paso por la escuela fue difícil: fue expulsado de varias, tuvo problemas con la policía y fue encarcelado. En la prisión se educó y al salir en libertad, terminó la escuela para adultos. Aprendió a leer y a escribir a pesar de su dislexia.
Escribe poesía para niños y adultos y novelas para adolescentes – Face y Refugee Boy, entre ellas. Sus temas son racismo, derechos de los animales, contaminación, igualdad de géneros entre niños y niñas.
Elegí dos poesías de su colección para niños, Serious Luv y A day in the life of Danny the Cat.
Serious Luv nos permite escuchar la pronunciación jamaiquina de Zephaniah. El poema presenta un primer enamoramiento adolescente
A day in the life of Danny the cat describe la rutina de un gato de manera muy tierna. Ambos poemas tienen su toque de humor.

(Pueden activar los subtítulos en el video de Youtube)

Eladia Castellani

A day in the life of Danny the cat

Danny wakes up
Eats
Finds a private place in the garden,
He returns
Plays with the plants
And sleeps.

Danny wakes up
Eats
Inspects the garden
Finds a cosy place
And sleeps.

Danny wakes up
Comes indoors
Inspects the carpet
Scratches himself
And sleeps.

Danny wakes up
Goes into the garden
Over the fence
Has a fight with Ginger
Makes a date with Sandy
Climbs on to next door’s shed
And sleeps.

Danny wakes up
Comes indoors
Rubs up the chair leg
Rubs up a human leg
Sharpens his claws
On a human leg
Eats
And sleeps.

Danny wakes up
Eats
Watches a nature programme
Finds a private place in the garden,
Finds Sandy in next door’s garden
Next door’s dog finds Danny
Sandy runs north
Danny runs home
Eats and sleeps.

Danny wakes up,
Checks for mice,
Checks for birds,
Checks for dogs,
Checks for food,
Finds a private place in the garden,
Eats and sleeps.

Danny has hobbies:
Being stroked,
Carwatching
And smelling feet.
He loves life,
Keeps fit
Danny is very very clean,
Every night he covers himself in spit,
Then he eats and sleeps.

Serious Luv

Monday morning

I really luv de girl dat´s sitting next to me

I think she thinks like me an she´s so cool,

I think dat we could live for ever happily

I want to marry her when I leave school. 

She´s de only one in school allowed to call me Ben

When she does Math I luv de way she chews her pen,

When we are doing Art she´s so artistic

In Biology she makes me heart beat so quick.

When we do Geography I go to paradise

She´s helped me draw a map of Borneo twice!

Today she´s going to help me take me books home

So I am going to propose to her when we´re alone. 

The next day

I used to love the girl dat´s sitting next to me

But yesterday it all came to an end,

She said that I should take love more seriously 

An now I think I really luv her friend.