Good Grandmother Autumn,
slowly, serenely,
You open Your cloak.
Orange, umber, crimson
to enfold us in the wisdom 
of waning day; the pulling-in 
of the soft blanket of gentle night.

You gather summer’s 
leaking light, transmuted 
and mellow; sun’s rambunctious 
radiant yellow, distilled 
to rich and potent gold.
To glow and to guide, 
as You graciously stride, 
softly singing.

Love’s Lantern
You hold at Your side;
steady, swinging,
over hill and hollow;
calling us to follow You, 
closer to cold
in Earth’s Soulful Descent .

To the quiet concealing,
the kindly revealing, 
the fullness of feeling;
the hiddenness of healing 
all that is weary, hurting,
broken, and bent. 

Hail to the losing!
Hail to the leaving!
Hail to the grieving, 
the groaning, the growing! 

Hail to Grandmother Autumn 
and Her Knowing 
that delving the darkness 
is time well spent. 

~Cheryl Anne Maris 
accepting Grandmother Autumn’s invitation 

My heart has gone
quiet within me-
It could be
Gentle Autumn’s gathering 
subtly around me,
and all the more noticeably
settling in my breath and bones.

My summer has gone
but I do not grieve.

I have waited
for these damp, dark days
since my youth, preferring
a deeper, Silent Truth
to the glaring gaze
and loud displays of voices
singing their own importance.

Willingly and with delight
I sink into this muted moment-
out of mind and out of sight,
even to myself-
Surrendering to
rich earthen hues,
encircled by the greys and blues
and shroud of clouded mist.

I have waited
for a seasoned kiss-
a long simmering,
full-bodied brew~
Autumn’s Gift;

I have waited for You
to sweeten, soften,
gently subdue the last of
my struggling strength.

With Love and Trust
I welcome You-
invite You into Heart and Hearth,
to become part of my breath and bones,
my damp and dark; my soil, my soul, my Home…

Till at the dying of my day,
in humility and hope I pray
that Your Loving Presence
may be the One Sweet Thing
which does not recede from me
when all the seasons fall away.

~Cheryl Anne Maris 
from the autumnal archives 

I did not know 
anything 
beyond the practicalities 
and the call 
of the Wise Moon. 

I could not see;
blinded by the magnitude 
of the moment’s brightness,
and the intoxication 
of new autumnal air.

So unaware of 
the depth and darkness 
of the Sea that lay before me. 
I did not know,
but She did. 

She knew that 
the Wise Moon’s 
calling
would require 
a fearsome falling.

She knew that
the Sea’s 
exploring
meant complacency’s 
unmooring.

She knew all
the monsters 
waiting
and difficulty 
navigating. 

She knew how long.
She knew how far. 
Great Stella Maris!
Sea’s Bright Star! 
She saw it all

But only smiled
upon Her 
wide-eyed 
wandering 
child;

through all
the recklessness 
and roaming
toward her full
and final Homing. 

Mother of Christ, 
Star of the Sea;
pray for the wanderers;
pray 
for me. 

~Cheryl Anne Maris 
Feast of Our Lady, Stella Maris 2022
She knew! 🌟

I wrestle with God
Like passionate Lovemaking 
Tender affliction 

~Cheryl Anne Maris 
a haiku from my heart 

Gentle comes the fall
Deep magic Mabon morning 
Sun and Soul glow gold

~Cheryl Anne Maris 
welcoming autumn 2022

Your Name,
O Mary,
is to me
a Garden Where
I walk in Peace

Your Name,
O Mary,
is to me
a Rose Whose Fragrance
does not cease

Your Name,
O Mary,
is to me
a Cloak
of Comfort and of Grace

Your Name,
O Mary,
is to me
a safe and healing
Hiding Place

Your Name,
O Mary,
is to me
a Fortress
that is sure and strong

Your Name,
O Mary,
is to me
the Home and Hearth
Where I belong.

~Cheryl Anne Maris
Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary

The Light softens towards 
tones more muted and Michaelean.
The Green, wistfully waning, 
grateful for days of 
summer splendor;
aware of its fragility 
and fading.

Treetops, as yet 
full and shading,
shed their first 
tender yellow tears.
Leaves too-soon tired
from too-tight clinging 
for fear of falling.

Now ready for singing 
the song of Freedom’s flutter
to faithful ground.
They are first 
to hear Her calling. 
Met with Mercy’s 
warm befriending.

They kiss the Face 
of One Ascending.
Full of Grace!
Forever Blessed!
Dressed in raiment of 
Great Gold Sun; Bright 
Promise of the Holy One!

Beyond mortal coil
and fading green, 
the Angels bear
Their Coming Queen.
‘Neath Raphael’s Wing
to heal and hide; 
Our Lady of Assumptiontide! 

~Cheryl Anne Maris 
Eve of the Feast of the Assumption 2022

Sacred Simplicity 
You Are The Mystery 
Tender Love of God
Ever-Present, Inextricable.

Soft Silence 
Resting beneath ruminations 
Humble Heart 
hidden in complications.

Your Peace
A Perpetual Invitation 
To surrender 
To slowing.

The Gift of Knowing 
Source, Sense, and Soul
Infinite Embrace of
Unfailing Love. 

~Cheryl Anne Maris 
words upon waking 

Lady of Clarity,
Courage, and Charity;
Santa Chiara, pray for us.

~ a little song for the Feast of St. Clare of Assisi 2022

Beloved, You are
wax and wick;
the candle unlit
as I sit bereft. 

Beloved, You are 
books unread,
tears not shed,
swallowed songs.

Beloved, You are
prayers waylaid,
paths forsaken;
poems abandoned. 

~Cheryl Anne Maris
in an apophatic embrace