Friday, August 29, 2014

Palette





The grassy fields are fading,
greens to browns, paling.


Goldenrods 
becoming brighter,
yellowing,
showy in August,
dominating September.



Long, sunny days remembered,
as hints of autumn appear.




Sumac collecting color,



from a palette like no other. 
©  2014  Richard Havenga




Click on photos to enlarge.

#1, #3, #4 Canada Goldenrod - Solidago canadensis

#2 Showy Goldenrod - Solidago speciosa

#5 Smooth Sumac - Rhus glabra

#6 Staghorn Sumac - Rhus typhina


Photo Locations:

1. Wabasis Lake Park, (Wabasis) Kent County, Michigan

2. Townsend Park, (Townsend) Kent County, Michigan

#3,  #4. Home Woods 

#5. Home Garden

#6. Parnell, Michigan






Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Red Haiku




soft summer raindrops
kiss sensuous red petals
please linger longer

©  2014  Richard Havenga



Gladiolus species: "Oscar"

Photo Location: Home Garden

Monday, August 25, 2014

High Silence - Slow Prayers





Entering these mountains
again,
between cool canyon walls
and sun-warmed rock faces,
my level of gratitude
elevates.



With perseverance and trust,
pines hold fast;
to seams in the slabs,
to breaks in the boulders,
along bulges of rounded rock,
growing roots and branches
like slow prayers.



Waiting with patience and trust,
and inspired by this faith observed,
may I learn from these pines;
while listening 
in the high silence
for an answer
from a quiet voice.
©  2014  Richard Havenga




Photo Locations:

1. Cedar Breaks National Monument, (Cedar Breaks) Utah 

2. Muddy Gap, Carbon County, Wyoming (Wyoming)                           

3. Estes Park, (Estes Park) Colorado






Monday, August 18, 2014

Witness



How long would you wait
to witness the exact moment
a flower opened:


The first, slight split
in the flawless seam?


The slow separation
of soft, sensuous petals?


The graceful curving
into curls and arches?


The profound appearance
of pistil and stamens?


The powdery pollen
clinging to anthers
at the tips of slender filaments?


The prominent stigma,
moist and receptive,
atop the stout style?



Are you waiting,



and watching,



and grateful



for this gentle gift,



created daily
during deep summer?



Will your witness
of these miracles
grow into a prayer
of thanks




from the silence
of your heart?



How long will you wait
to hear
that still, small voice
within?
©  2014  Richard Havenga




Flower Identification and Photo Location:

1.  Hinge Bindweed (Calystegia sepium) - Gun Lake, Michigan

2. Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor) - Wabasis Lake Park, Michigan

3. Balloon Flower (Platycodon grandiflorum) - Home Garden

4. Yellow Glacier Lily/Avalanche Lily (Erythronium grandiflorum
     - Medicine Bow Mountains, (Snowy Range) Wyoming 

5. Trout Lily/Yellow Fawn Lily (Erythronium americanum) - Home Woods

6. Common Orange Day Lily (Henerocallis fulva) - Home Woods

7. Michigan Lily (Lilium michiganense) - Home  Garden

8. Pink Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium acaule) - Townsend Park, Cannonsburg, Michigan

9. Virginia Meadow Beauty (Rhexia virginica) - Shallotte, North Carolina

10. Gunnison's Mariposa Lily (Calochortus gunnisonii) - Boulder County, Colorado

11. Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)- Ada Township, Kent County, Michigan

12. Rough-fruited Cinquefoil (Potentilla recta) Canon Township, Kent County, Michigan

13. Chicory (Cichorium intybus) Grattan Township, Kent County, Michigan

14. Hollyhock (Althaea rosea) - Home Garden

15. American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea) Grand River, Spring Lake, Michigan

16. Fragrant White Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata) - Freedom Park, Naples, Florida





Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Curtain Closing




Here in these mountains
time seems to linger longer.



This silver fringe
of evening clouds
is the curtain closing
on this summer day.

A theater filled 
with the blessings
of creation.

On stage,
a hint of God's presence.

In the audience,
a grateful people.
©  2014  Richard Havenga







Photo Location:


Gunnison, (Gunnison)  Colorado (Colorado)




Monday, August 11, 2014

gestures




dancing in sunlight
grasses brush the summer breeze
with graceful gestures





Squirrel Tail Grass - Elymus elymoides, Sitanion hystrix

Photo Location:  Steamboat Springs, (Steamboat) Colorado (Colorado)




Friday, August 8, 2014

Manna




A small, soft wind
is shifting and swaying
the ripening wheat,
bronzing in warm
summer sun.



One small kernel
planted in fertile,
warm soil
produces
thirty to fifty
seeds per head;
eventually milled
to give us
our daily bread.


Nourished
by the earth,
how many
stalks of wheat
grow in one acre?
With precious sun
and vital rain
from our maker.

How many kernels
can this
Michigan farmer yield
from his small field?

How many bushels
are harvested by ranchers
in Kansas, the Dakotas,
Oklahoma, Manitoba,
and Montana?



Thank our God
for wheat.
Our manna.




Photo Locations:

Kent County,  Michigan (Michigan)




Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Orange



anthers bear pollen,
stigma is prime to receive,
pollination soon

©  2014  Richard Havenga




Photo Location:  Home Garden





Monday, August 4, 2014

Chamber Music



Approaching
from the back edge of day,
this twilight, gentle and soft,
is patiently collecting my thoughts.

Shadows 
merge into a deeper dusk,
filling the evening with quiet;
except for the crickets
within their hidden chambers
tuning up 
for their next performance.

Capturing the thoughts
from this audience
of one.
©  2014  Richard Havenga