Ivan Jenson

A lesson here

there is a lesson here
as you walk through
the empty playground
of the elementary school
as you step on
a chalk hop scotch
and pass a jungle gym
you feel like you are being
tested and graded
by an unseen principal
no they can’t touch you now
as you walk by benches
and the tether ball
they can’t stop you
from just walking out
of the gates
and no bell will
call you back
you already
heard what they
had to say
and it’s funny
because all
you can remember
is that you
should have told
Mrs. Melius
your sixth grade teacher
that you
loved her

CP

Born in LA, Ivan Jenson was a prodigy in poetry and art. He moved to New York City where he received recognition and praise for his bold Pop Art. His “Absolut Jenson” painting was featured in Art News, Art in America, and he has sold several works at Christie's New York. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Word Riot, Hidden City Quarterly, Thoughtsmith, Viral Cat, Poetic Desperation, and Bread & Circuses, among others.