These three poems—by Madlyn Epstein Steinhart, Carol Ostrow, and Nicole Freezer Rubens—offer tender reflections on identity, memory, and the quiet beauty of everyday life. From the journey of self-acceptance to the healing power of rest and the warmth of a childhood craft, each piece invites us to pause, remember, and celebrate the lives we’ve lived and the selves we continue to become.

Finding Yourself

You get lost
In your mind
Yesterday is gone
Leave it behind
Cherish memories
They are gifts you give and share
Those experiences are so much better than a gift wrapped box
Somehow they get lost or forgotten
Once you are more than happy being yourself
Doing your very best and being grateful for those opportunities
Finding yourself and accepting who you are is a great gift
Hope you celebrate that daily

~Madlyn Epstein Steinhart, author “Put Your Boots on and Dance in the Rain” and “Beautiful Heart”

A Gift

I’m lying in my bed not feeling my best,
Doctor said I need time to rest,
So, I have time now to think and be quiet,
Not about turbulent chores and my diet,

There is time now to think of life it seems,
About lost hopes, goals and unrealized dreams,
Has my path gone in the direction I had hoped for,
Or gone astray when I’d planned for much more,

Thinking of times long gone in the past,
Of family and friendships that did not last,

I realized how wonderful it has all been,
All so beautiful with kith and kin,
And all the adventures I participated in,

The memories that have made me who I am,
With the deeds, turns and doors that did slam,
All I can say now is, I am doing all I can,

With the life that was given to me!!

~Carol Ostrow, “Poems from My Pandemic Pen” and “Poetry in Motion with Much Emotion”

Extra Buttons

I remember sitting
in the middle of my parents’
gigantic bed.
My mom had an A&P grocery bag
with skeins of purple yarn
stashed inside.
We followed some instructions,
measured, cut, divided
and laid out
the eggplant colored thick thread accordingly,
to make an octopus.
We balled up yesterday’s news
to stuff inside the head.
Then we tied, maneuvered and knotted
8 unevenly braided legs,
before sewing on spare buttons
from the junk drawer
for eyes.
I think we did this
more than once,
over time
crafting a whole family of octopi
with different eyes.
I remember this often,
and wonder if she would too.

~Nicole Freezer Rubens, author “Poems from My Pandemic Pen”