This week’s poetry spotlight is a celebration of wit, wisdom, and emotional truth. From Lady Penelope’s cheeky sonnet on love’s selective hearing to Carol Ostrow’s rallying cry for courage and action, these verses remind us that poetry is both mirror and megaphone. Nicole Freezer Rubens captures the quiet magic of New York at dawn, while Madlyn Epstein Steinhardt offers a soulful invocation for every writer who dares to feel deeply. Whether you’re laughing, reflecting, or simply pausing to breathe, these poems invite you to listen closely—to your heart, your city, and your calling.

Love’s Not Only Blind

O friends I’ll tell you love’s not only blind.
It’s clearly deaf, examples there are many.
My pals astonished I was so inclined
to stick with he who was as cruel as any.
He called me mediocre but I heard
that he considered me an equal who
was worthy of our partnership. Absurd
that I misunderstood so much of you.
What was so special? What great attributes
did I perceive my first lover possessed?
It’s not as if he had fantastic glutes.
Perhaps I hid my eyes when he undressed.
As I look back, with well-earned commonsense,
my ears were filled with wax. That’s my defense.

~Lady Penelope, author of Sonnets from Suburbia

The Times is Now

If not now then when,
Pay close attention then,
If not me then who,
Seriously, I am asking you,

Time stops for no one it seems,
No matter your hopes or your dreams,
Whatever you must do start with a plan,
Trust in yourself and know that you can,

Make some dreams come true,
Get help with what you cannot do,
Don’t worry about all the work it takes,
Step by many steps with those rising stakes,

The results may surprise, maybe not what you thought,
Perhaps very different than what you were taught,
Never mind, go ahead whatever the cost,
Or you may never forgive what you have lost,

Have faith in yourself and all your dreams,
This is real life and all that it means,
Be brave, go forward, go with your gut,
If nothing else you are out of your rut,

Spread your ideas into the vast universe,
You will go forward, not in reverse,
The excitement awaits all who take a chance,
Those who risk will always advance!!

Take that risk. It’s worth it in the end,
Bravery is something you need never defend!

~Carol Ostrow, authoro Poems from My Pandemic Pen and Poetry in Motion with Much Devotion

Early Flight

Driving through the grid
that is New York City
in the predawn light
is a fever dream
of darkness and lobby lights.
The hard tar pavement
slips behind
as the bodega neon
and open all night diner lights
twinkle in silence.
New York is reborn
with every sunrise,
vibrations brewing
and dripping
into a new day
renewing my soul.

~Nicole Freezer Rubens, author of The Long Pause and the Short Breath

Poet’s Prayer

Let the words and flow come
Be prepared to remember or jot them down
Be honored and hone your craft
Be proud you see things differently
You are sensitive and unlike the rest
High maintenance in ways they never would accept or understand
Be grateful
We want the world to be a better place
Poet’s Prayer

~Madlyn Epstein Steinhardt is the author of Put Your Boots on and Dance in the Rain and Beautiful Heart