Space and Time

Out here, in the country,
surrounded by green, rural space,
time adopts a softer rhythm,
a more gentle, eternal pace.

Each day is a new invitation
to bring fresh words to birth.
To open windows of wonder,
let readers judge their worth.

Sharing the gifts we are given,
opens possibilities in the mind.
The more we give God our gratitude,
the more precious gifts we will find.

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Lund's Landing - North Dakota

2. Allanspark, Colorado

Emerging

The moon is emerging
from passing clouds.

I observe and admire
with a joyful heart,
a searching soul,
and a mind alert
with awareness.

With eyes wide open,
ready for a message
from the Holy Spirit.

Will it resound
like a trumpet of triumph,

or whisper
like a breeze in the pines?

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Home - Cannonsburg, Michigan

2. Catalina, Arizona

3. Cannon Township - Kent County - Michigan

Deep Summer

On this August afternoon,
the drone of Cicadas
drills into my drowsy head.

During the softness of dusk,
early fireflies
always surprise me
with their next location.

Now, the evening rhythms
of rigid Katydids
measure the temperature
of the night.

I continue my fall
into deep summer;
into deep sleep.

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. & 2. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

dancing with the wind

thriving on the earth

grasses brush the summer breeze

dancing with the wind

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Location:

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Expression

Seeking illumination
through God's imagination,

I revel in His creation
on every walk outdoors.

Praise enters my experience;
eager for expression.

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming

2. Longmont, Colorado

3. Buena Vista, Colorado

wind

The fierce wind
visits for a day
then continues 
on its way.

Sweeping this
wide peninsula,
finding freedom
above these Great Lakes.

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Lake Michigan @ Grand Haven State Park

2. Lake Michigan @ North Beach, Grand Haven, Michigan

3. Lake Michigan ~ Acadia, Michigan

Lake Music

Listen
to the song
of these soft 
summer showers.

Can you hear
the lake
make music 
with the rain?

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Pickerel Lake Park ~ Fred Meijer Nature Preserve - Kent County - Michigan

2. Rocky Mountain National Park - Colorado

The Invitation III

I am out walking again,
exploring the fields and woods,
scanning the lakes,
following the streams.

Cloud shadows
race across the foothills,
pushed by the wind.

Bobolinks appear,
then disappear
in deep grass.

Bulging cumulus
pile into white mounds
in the afternoon sky.

Delicate saucers
of Queen Anne's Lace
nod in the warm sun.

Summer quickens, ripens,
and waits for you
to open your invitation.

© 2019 Richard Havenga

You may also enjoy: 

"The Invitation II"   ~ January 16, 2017

"The Invitation" ~ May 6, 2013

Photo Locations:

1. Rocky Mountain National Park - Colorado

2. Allenspark, Colorado

3. Grattan Township - Kent County, Michigan

4. Pickerel Lake Park - Kent County - Michigan

5. Home Fields - Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

6. Home Fields - Grattan Township - Kent County - Michgian

Seeds of Grass

Just yesterday,
tall grasses displayed
their fine filaments;
their inconspicuous anthers
holding a trace of soft yellow.

Flicked by my finger,
or brushed 
by an intermittent breeze,
they released soft clouds
of pollen.

Fertilization complete.

Today they bow down
in the summer rain;
begin to make
seeds of grass. 

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1, 3, & 5. Home Fields - Cannonsburg, Michigan

2. Luton Park - Kent County - Michigan