“Talking Turkeys” consists of five stanzas. It is a cross between a rap song and a versanelle, with a reggae flavor. It scintillates with rime but does not display a consistent rime scheme. While the poem’s delivery appears to emphasize the fun in its subject, its deeper message is quite serious: Benjamin Zephaniah is an activist vegan-vegetarian.
First Stanza: “Be nice to yu turkeys dis christmas”
The speaker begins by telling his audience to “Be nice to yu turkeys dis christmas.” Then he adds jauntily that “turkeys jus wanna have fun,” an allusion to Cyndi Lauper’s song, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” and Wyn Coopers’s poem, “Fun,” which was turned into a pop song and made popular by Sheryl Crow.”
Then the speaker describes turkeys as “cool” and “wicked,” and they also have mothers. He then repeats his refrain about being nice to the birds and adds the command, “Don't eat it, keep it alive.” He says that the bird could be your pal and does not belong on your dinner plate. He tells his listeners to tell their turkey, “Yo! Turkey I'm on your side.”
Second Stanza: “I got lots of friends who are turkeys”
The speaker then claims that many of his friends are turkeys, but he does not mean those friends are humans who behave like “turkeys” in the slang-meaning of the term; no, he means the birds. He reports all of his turkey-friends fear Christmas and complain that humans “destroy[ ] it” for the birds. He then remarks that his turkey-friends have “right to a life.” They deserve “not to be caged up” and “genetically made up / By any farmer an his wife.”
Third Stanza: “Turkeys jus wanna play reggae”
The speaker claims that turkeys just want to be free to listen to the music of their choice; they never look forward to being carved up so people can eat them. Turkeys are like people: they like to get Christmas presents and watch TV, and they “feel pain” just as people do.
Fourth Stanza: “I once knew a turkey His name was Turkey”
The speaker then says he “once knew a turkey His name was Turkey”—a funny line that demonstrates the fantastic nature of this playful poem, which continues with Turkey saying to the poet/speaker, “Benji explain to me please, / Who put de turkey in christmas.” In addition, Turkey is also concerned about that happens to “christmas trees.”
The speaker answers that he is not certain about those things, but he knows eating turkey has nothing to do with “Christ Mass.” The speaker then unloads on humans for being “greedy” and “wast[ing] more dan need be / An business men mek loadsa cash.”
Fifth Stanza: “So, be nice to yu turkey dis christmas”
Again, the speaker conclusively remonstrates, “So, be nice to yu turkey dis christmas.” Moreover, he adds jovially that his listeners should invite the birds in for some vegetables and dessert: “Let dem eat cake an let dem partake / In a plate of organic grown beans.” He then repeats his refrain one last time, “Be nice to yu turkey dis christmas,” and admonishes his audience not to carve up the birds, but to “Join Turkeys United an dey'll be delighted / An yu will mek new friends 'FOR LIFE'.”
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