Poetry has the power to illuminate our deepest emotions, from self-doubt and resilience to identity, nature, and heritage. This month, The Three Tomatoes Book Publishing proudly showcases the voices of four gifted poets—Madlyn Epstein Steinhart, Carol Ostrow, Stephanie Sloane, and Nicole Freezer Ruben. Their words remind us to embrace courage, self-love, and connection, offering lyrical reflections that resonate with the heart and soul.

Self-Doubt

Needs to go
Like a bad snowstorm
Like a rude and vindictive friend or family member
Like a reoccuring bad dream that does not know when to stop or leave
It not only holds you back but stops your talents and gifts in your life
As you recover and hope that you do
Tell your head to take a break and follow your heart and soul
Don’t lose control
Go forward on your adventures and journeys

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

Grateful to Finally Be Me

I’m happy, thank goodness to get older,
Actually, I’m getting so much bolder,
Not so worried about a cold shoulder,
Shown to me by a thoughtless him or a her,

We’ve all heard about the “let it go theory”,
Sounds good if you don’t get all teary,
When left out of an invitational party,
That someone there said it was arty,

So what my friend, it’s entirely their loss,
They missed your brilliance and colorful gloss,
The only thing that matters in the end,
Is a note you will write and eventually send,

To yourself that you must really believe,
That will erase all sadness and relieve,
The insecurity you may be feeling,
It is a love note entirely revealing,

The fact that you love and respect yourself!
There really is in the end nothing else,
As important as that,
It’s an actual fact,

So give yourself a hug and enjoy it!

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

I Am Like a Tree

”Not one of those palm trees
That only grow in Florida or California
Shedding yellow fronds here and there
And looking surprisingly simple
Much the same as all other palm trees

Except for those tall trees,
Called Royal Palms
That line the streets in Palm Beach
Looking, for all intents and purposes,
Like a movie set

More like the maple that shades my house
Flourishing in three seasons
During which my arms or branches, abound
Leaves are full and covering
Keeping the whole house cool

In fall, my leaves turn color
Reds and golds and grassy green
Jazzy colors that end up on the front lawn
In spring, I develop buds
That turn lush and green in summer

It’s only winter
When I am bare
No leaves to cover me
Just an endless wait
Sometimes in snow, but temporary I know

~Stephanie Sloane, “Dear Me”

Am Yisrael Chai

We are forever bound together
by the bright threads of Joseph’s coat.
Around the world 0.2% of us
exceeded the sum of our parts.
We are a broken whole,
our ancient cracks
constantly repairing
ourselves and the world.
For this moment
we bask in the illuminating light that got in,
sacrificing for peace
in an impossible region of rubble.
Because hand in hand
we are builders,
our hammers passed by benediction
from generation to generation.
Am Yisrael chai.

~Nicole Freezer Ruben, “Poems from My Pandemic Pen”