Reverence

Reverence comes over me
while sitting in deep silence
under the forest canopy.

Reverence flows through me
while watching
the river's steady current.

I inhale it with eyes closed
while standing in a 
wildflower meadow.

I absorb it
like the sounds of birdsong
becoming memories,

or when 
ribbons of wind
wrap around my ears.

I feel it surging
while walking barefoot
on ocean's sandy shore.

Reverence resides in my soul
when I'm a guest
in the mansion of mountains.

Even when I'm too old
to walk the shore,
to hike the trails,
and wander the meadows,

I will not lose
this sense of reverence,
because I carry it
inside my heart,
within my soul.

© 2018 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Snake River - Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming

2.  Elk River - Steamboat Springs, Colorado

3. Along St. Mary's River - Glacier National Park - Montana 

4. Indigo Bunting - Egypt Valley State Game Area - Kent County, Michigan

5. Sunset Beach, North Carolina

6. Glacier National Park - Montana