ISSUE 2
Bethany Jarmul
​
Autumn Meditation
​
after Mary Oliver
I.
The earth’s tilted
spin stirs the trees.
They sway, arms
lifted in praise.
Swirled in holy
invisible vapor.
Oak, maple, & sycamore
trees drop papery
doubloons from their
fingertips until
the grassy ground
is glorified in gold.
II.
I barter with my toddler,
paying eleven leaf-coins
for seven seashell shards.
Perhaps, Mother Earth
herself is a customer
of the Creator, exchanging one
season for another, offering
six sunny days for two
tornadoes.
But no, surely only
humans see glory
and think transaction.
Bethany Jarmul is the author of two chapbooks—This Strange and Wonderful Existence (Bottlecap Press, 2023) and Take Me Home (Belle Point Press, 2025). Her writing was selected for Best Spiritual Literature 2023, nominated for Best of the Net and Wigleaf Top 50, and published in more than 70 magazines. She earned first place in Women on Writing’s 2023 essay contest. She lives near Pittsburgh. Connect with her at bethanyjarmul.com or on social media: @BethanyJarmul.