Poetry is wonderful entertainment. Check out the August poems from our wonderful poets.

Who knew?
 
Who knew when I attended
A tryout
At the suggestion of a friend
That a wonderful experience
Awaited me?
What could be lovelier
Than speaking the words of others
In a beautiful setting
With a director and authors
Who cared
And people who sometimes
Lived the words?
Words that resonated to me
In my new home
Where belonging was
Never a question
 
 
Love Again
 
Love is not only for the young
It appears out of nowhere
When least expected
At any age
With the same strength as before
Only different
The same capacity to turn life upside-down
In new ways

 ~ Stephanie Sloane, author of Dear Me: Poems of Loss, Grief, and Hope in New York’s Darkest Days

Slogans
 
Virginia is not sexy
but it is for lovers.
I am hearing and seeing
so many ads for travel.
As restrictions dissipate
and fear evaporates just enough,
the world is once again an oyster,
her hard eroding shell
to be pried open to unleash
a Pandora’s box of discoveries.
My destination bucket list is long
and ticking off any item
makes me feel alive and well.
Dip your toe in the water,
or dive right in?
That choice is hardwired
in our genetic makeup.
Nature vs. nurture
is always at play like children
dancing in the streets.
The road less travelled
is having a grand reopening
with colorful triangular flags
swinging from the white cloud rafters.
Make your mark.
The sky’s the limit.
Don’t choose wisely,
follow your heart
and your gut.
Stand tall
and face the consequences.
Make a wish
and wait and see.
Live each day.
It’s that simple.

 ~ Nicole Freezer Rubens, author of The Long Pause and the Short Breath…Poems & Photos & Reflections on New York City’s Pandemic

Hiding Makes No Sense

Although I'm not in shape to create a tome,
I thought I would take time to write a poem,
It is a tale similar to the late Nora Ephron,
Who wrote stories of truth we depended on,
Especially when she said she "hated her neck",
So, I decided, hey, what the heck,
And went to the surgeon with a hefty check.
Now, this was not an arbitrary decision,
It is serious and needed a careful opinion,
Or two or three or four or more. 
It is not that I wanted to turn back time,
Who would I be kidding, it's so out of line,
It is simply for my very own well being,
So that I can be comfy with what I am seeing,
In my mirror each day and can honestly
Say,
I will be the best looking gal in the old age home.
I am not advocating for a lift and a pull,
Just not hiding that a wish you can fulfill,
Is there for you, before you're over the hill.
 
Feeling good about yourself leaves room for better things.
 
~Carol Ostrow, author of Poems from My Pandemic Pen
 

You will never know

Empathy is fine
Sympathy is incomplete because we are all different
The face we show the world is not the one that cries alone at night
Even when You are not alone
You can be alone in a crowd
Some have no clue about what they have done to others
Innocent and ignorant are not friends
Shower crying works because it ends before the towel
Happy or sad tears, the result is the same
2020 made is tougher and more resolute in what we need to do
The anger is quiet and explodes all around
Be there and listen
You will never know everything but you need to know and learn
Until you leave this khaki coil

~Madlyn Epstein Steinhart, author of Put Your Boots on and Dance in the Rain