2 poems by Ivan Jenson
Nothing Ventured
Within me
is the strength
to climb over
Kilimanjaro
sorrow
and swing
like a jumbo
Jungle Jim
from branch
to branch
in order to steal
Tarzan’s Jane
and take her
to meet my big buddy
King Kong
and swing dance
with Big Foot
then take a dip
in the Blue Lagoon
and have a beer fest
with Lock Ness
run with the bulls
talk bull
with bullfighters
followed by a
walk on the plank
over a tank of
oversized piranha
wannabees
known as sharks
but my bite
is not my bark
so I just stutter
something
unintelligible
in front of you
with the mumble
of a bad method
actor
then stumble
on my way Poem for Dummies
You have to
structure your day
have a routine
be set in your ways
keep everything
in order
stack that which
should be stacked
and pack that
which should be
packed
file your feelings
and your fingernails
flex your muscles
and your options
tack tacky affirmations,
and slogans
on your refrigerator
do what is on
your to do list
and when you
have done
what has to
be done
be done with it
already and
snuggle up
with a dog, book
or lover
and remember
never to watch
the evening news
rest assured that
Rome is burning
so pick up your
fiddle
and play a little
hey diddle diddle Art by Josephin Ritschel Recommended listening: A Girl Like You - Edwyn Collins Links of the Day: Bill Murray's 'Secret' Love of Poetry Inside the Mermaid Economy Masques & Murder The Strange Power of Cursed Paintings