Bethany Jarmul

Things that Remind Me of the Vastness of the Universe

Grains of sand slipping
between my fingers,

carried by the wind.
Particles of rock & shell

so numerous I cannot keep
their number in the palm

of my mind. The ocean
stretching its arms beyond

the edge of my perception.
Wave after wave crashing against

a cracked shell—my idea
of forever. The stars

I once saw from a mountain rock
on a night the sky was naked—

Orion aiming, Taurus fleeing.
The millions of celestial

bodies beyond them,
beyond me.  

Bethany Jarmul is an Appalachian writer and poet. Her work has been published in 100+ literary magazines including Rattle, Brevity, Salamander, One Art, and Ghost Parachute. She’s the author of two chapbooks and one poetry collection—This Strange and Wonderful Existence (poetry chapbook, Bottlecap Press, 2023), Take Me Home (nonfiction chapbook, Belle Point Press, 2024), and Lightning is a Mother(poetry collection, ELJ Editions, 2025). Her writing was selected for Best Spiritual Literature 2023 and Best Small Fictions 2024, and nominated for the Pushcart Prize, The Best of the Net, Best Microfiction, and Wigleaf Top 50. Connect with her on social media: @BethanyJarmul.