Supplication

The branches
that arch over this trail
form a cathedral;

and remind me
of the blessing
in our church
when the parishioners
extend their arms
into the sacred space
arching above their souls
while a prayer for healing
is conferred upon the sick,
and enhanced
by our plentiful palms;

like all the leaves
in the woods
reaching for the sun.

Supplication sustained by praise.
Hope hinged with belief.

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Wabasis Lake Park - Kent County - Michigan

2. & 3. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

Reaching the Moon

Scattered clouds are dissipating
as the evening breeze subsides.
Dusk becomes a deeper gray.

Now is the time to watch
Little Brown Bats fluttering 
above and between treetops;
occasionally reaching the moon.  

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Video Location: Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

Receptacle II

Please fashion me 
into a receptacle
for your grace.

And fill me
with a greater awareness
of your magnificent creation,

so that I may share
what I have seen
through the gift of sight;

what I have heard
through the gift of hearing;

what I have absorbed
through all my senses.

taste

smell

 touch

May I weave choice words
into a fabric of comfort
that readers may wear.

This is my prayer.  

© 2020 Richard Havenga

You may also enjoy: "receptacle" ~ May 2, 2016

Photo Locations:

1. Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming

2. Blue-winged Warbler - Goodwillie Environmental School - Ada, Michigan

3.  Townsend Park Trails - Kent County - Michigan

4. Lilly-of-the-Valley - Mom's Farm - Kent County - Michigan

5. Grand River - Grand Rapids, Michigan

6. Arkansas River - Buena Vista, Colorado

Joyful Song

The sweet syllables
of a Song Sparrow
pulled my attention
away from myself;

awakened my awareness,
focused my eyes and ears
on the sight and sound
of this little brown bird;

proclaiming his joyful song,
touching my heart and soul.

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Cannonsburg State Game Area - Kent County - Michigan

2. Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve - Kent County - Michigan

Words Accumulating

Blossoms blossoming.

Ferns unfurling.

Flowers flowering.

Leaves leafing.

 Clouds raining.

Words accumulating.

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Mom & Dad's Farm

2. Home Woods

3. Home Garden

4. Home Woods

5. Taylor Reservoir - Tin Cup, Colorado

6. 7. 8. 9. Home Library

Hopeful Harvest

"Thus you have prepared the land: drenching its furrows, softening it with showers, 
blessing its yield." ~ Psalm 65: 9 & 10 

Yesterday,
the leaves of field corn
had begun to curl inward,
from the long drought and heat.

Today,
after a long, soaking rain, 
nearly two inches,
the soil has darkened with moisture,
and the long leaves on cornstalks
expanded again, opening their
dark green palms to the sky.

The fields sigh with relief.
The farmers whisper with gratitude;
hopeful for another harvest.

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations: Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

Until

A pink flush spread
into the clouds at dawn,
until the rising sun
transformed them into pewter.

The transparent wind
arrived with stealth,
until it became visible
bending the cattails.

The Wood Warblers
sang their sweet songs,
until the Red-eyed Vireo's
constant calls controlled the  air waves.

 The floor of the forest
was littered with brown,
brittle pine needles,
until the Pink Lady's Slipper
exploded in eye-catching ecstasy.



Photo Locations:

1. Santa Catalina Mountains - Oro Valley, Arizona

2. Muskegon River - Michigan

3. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

4. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan

After the Rain

After the rain,
the first spears of sunlight
shimmer on the water,
dazzle the landscape.

Words are too weak,
language inadequate
to express the lure
that captivates me.

I must get outside
and engage my camera
to capture the attractions
in my country setting.

Perhaps later,
I could polish a poem
that will shine with luster

like these raindrops do
on this sweet clover,
on these leaves of grass,
after the rain.

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Pickerel Lake - Kent County - Michigan

2. Home Fields - Cannonsburg, Michigan

3. Home Fields - Kent County - Michigan

The Color of Light

Look how the sunlight
examines your small plot of earth
(or acres if your lucky).

Hour by hour,
streaking through summer leaves.

Season by season;
dazzling the hills of snow,

warming the soil in spring fields,
softening the mountain edges,
washing the rushing streams.

Watching every day;
especially evenings,
when the color of light
warms,
just before it fades.

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

2. Longmont, Colorado

3. Ada Township - Kent County - Michigan

4. Red Hill, New Mexico

5. Arkansas River - Buena Vista, Colorado

6. Sierra Vista, Arizona