Springer says Zephaniah had a particular fondness for anything with roots. He knew how to plant and fill the soil. Springer believes his brother’s dyslexia helped him absorb information in a better way, so what local farmers told him remained vivid in his mind. By the time he farmed his own land and ate what he grew, he had become locally famous for his potatoes.
Springer says that when Zephaniah was young, his poems were written against apartheid, racism, fascism and the bomb. But the plight of the Earth was not among those topics.
“Those are poems I know. These are poems about injustice around the world. But the older he got, the more he seemed to explore nature, the earth, and the green spaces in our community.”
After his brother’s death, Springer began wondering how he could honor his memory through a tree. “He wanted his loved ones and supporters to plant trees, not give flowers or build statues,” he says.
mind
The youngest of nine children in the Benjamin Zephaniah Family Legacy Group, Springer contacted Birmingham TreePeople, a group of volunteers who plant, protect and promote trees in urban environments, on behalf of his family. “And, hey, they were thinking the same thing as me.”
Springer suggested using North Birmingham, where both siblings were born, as the location. He explains that there is misinformation that Zephaniah was born in Handsworth, but was actually born in Aston.
Birmingham TreePeople and Zephaniah’s family are currently planning a Zephaniah forest to be planted in Burbury Park, a stone’s throw from where the brothers were born in Newtown. My parents’ first house was on Farm Street, parallel to the park.
“I went there recently and it was a pretty old neighborhood. For decades, the city council and many city councils have ignored that part of Birmingham,” explains Springer. “I hope this will start a change for the council to focus on these types of areas with green space.”
This blueprint for how to create green space will also bring communities within the confines of nature. Local residents and schools will be planting trees this winter, perhaps fostering a sense of ownership and belonging to the region’s trees.
everlasting
Throughout the small park, 65 trees will be planted, one for each year of Zephaniah’s life. Each tree has a QR code that links to a poem written specifically for the project.
Birmingham TreePeople invited Brummie poets to submit work incorporating trees. They are also crowdfunding more than £40,000 for the project.
“Even if we were all dead and gone, Benjamin’s memory would still be here. People will be able to see and feel his legacy,” Springer says.
“I hope that nature will eventually become synonymous with Benjamin’s name and his work, and that his love of nature will also be on equal footing. I think he would really love it if he knew he was getting people engaged in nature and talking about nature.”
The story Springer tells about his brother is a story of redemption. A passive young man who found a place for his love of nature and poetry.
And at the end of this circle is the Forest of Zephaniah, returning to where it all began and giving permanence to the poet’s legacy.
This author
Katie Dancey-Downs is a freelance journalist who writes about human rights, the planet and culture. She is also an assistant editor for . Index on Censorship magazine. More information about Zephaniah Forest can be found here: tinyurl.com/zephaniah-forest.
