Memorial Day 2018

For all those who sacrificed their lives,
so that we may live ours with freedom. ~ RH

"The dead soldier's silence sings our national anthem." ~ Aaron Kilbourne


Photo Locations:

1. Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery - St. Louis, Missouri

2. Amway World Headquarters - Ada, Michigan

Chosen

Reader:

I will lend you my words
so you may see
what I have seen
through the eyes of my heart.

May your vision
be illuminated
by words chosen
to shine upon the page;

chosen to reveal
miracles and mysteries,
the spectacles of spring,
the secrets of summer;

chosen to discover
stimulating images
by translating
life into art. 

© 2018 Richard Havenga

Photo Information: 

1. Round-leaved Hepatica - Townsend Park - Kent County, Michigan 

2. Wild Geranium - Home Woods, Cannonsburg, Michigan

3. Blue Flax - Crested Butte, Colorado 

Goldfinch and Dandelion

With its curved claws,
a goldfinch pins 
a dandelion stem
into the grass.

Then picks precisely
and delicately
at the tops
of dandelion tufts;

extracting the minute seeds
that might have been 
carried on the wind
by petite silver parachutes.

Wearing a small black cap
to match tuxedo wings,
he now stands at the edge
of a common mud puddle.

to dip his orange beak
for a bird-sized sip of water.

A joyous yellow bundle
eating and drinking the afternoon.

© 2018 Richard Havenga

American Goldfinch - Cornell Labs

Photo Locations: 

Fallasburg Park - Kent County, Michigan  

The Shape of the Gift

God is an artist.
Has created all I see.

He sends his messages.
I pray for receptivity.

Open to his influence,
I'm eager for possibility.

In this gallery of awareness,
I wait patiently.

Nourished by the Spirit,
I try to imagine
the shape of the gift,






















and how to open it
with gratitude,
and proper humility.

© 2018 Richard Havenga

Photography © by Richard Havenga

1. American Lotus ~ Nelumbo lutea

2. Buttonbush ~ Cephalanthus occidentalis

3. Gladiolus ~ species

4. Sunflower ~ species

5. Sulphur Cinquefoil ~ Potentilla recta

Testimony

Aspens hold up their branches,
providing evidence of
the passage of time;
giving seasonal testimony
through their leaves 
that swear to tell 
the whole truth;

green, greener, gold, and gone.

Holding their knotted trunks
before you like an offering.
Like a gift facing the future.

Accepting change.

Tiny green
banners of hope
flagging in the wind.

© 2018 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Maroon Bells, Aspen, Colorado

2, 4, 5. Ohio Creek Road - N.W. of Gunnison, Colorado

3. Grand Mesa National Forest - Colorado

Remember These

These promising days
keep opening for you,
but closing too soon;

these spent days
becoming yesterdays,
accumulating into
dusty stacks of time,
old piles of years.

But,

if you listen carefully
some morning in spring,
when the Redbuds
warm the riverbanks,
and Flowering Dogwoods
reach out their slender arms of lace
to grace the edge of the woods;

if you listen carefully,
you may hear your dreams
still whispering in the breeze:

"Remember these."

© 2018 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Grand Rapids Township - Kent County, Michigan 

2. Thornapple River - Caledonia Township - Kent County, Michigan

Horizon

On these vast and windy plains,
the immense sky meets the long land,
enhancing the circling horizon,
the curvature of the earth. 

Old windmills still turning,

still churning water 

for the trough.

© 2018 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations: 

1. Arapahoe, Colorado

2. Lincoln County, Montana

Willing

This lavender light of dawn
seems to be filling with angels
who are willing to carry my prayers.

Now, as the morning sun 
penetrates the fog,
and warms my face,
I am blessed with
this precious moment
to offer praise and thanksgiving;

willing to wait for God's answer
in this place where I belong. 

© 2018 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Sierra Vista, Arizona