Diamonds

 

The lake can amplify the sky,

indicate the wind's direction,

intensify the sun's blinding glare,

and separate the sun's light

into thousands of flashing diamonds.

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: McCarthy Lake - Kent County - Michigan

 

Saul Lake Bog

Fine tracings

of arching grasses

are frosted at dawn.

Thick shrubs of Cranberry

display red and green leaves 

packed tightly along their twigs.

Browned cattail leaves

curve down from their heights,

more brittle than their summer selves.

A White-tailed buck

stands tall in the Tamaracks;

alert and muscular,

displaying a large rack of antlers.

A few hundred Canada Geese

announce their departure;

rise clamorously

off the shallow water,

assemble airborne into formation,

and depart over autumn leaves.

Winterberry and

large rose hips

add red highlights

into the dense shade.

Black-capped Chickadees

balance like acrobats

while picking at seed heads

of dried wildflowers

and cattails.

Morning has broken 

at Saul Lake Bog.

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve - Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

 

Yesterday's Snow

 

Dull, gray light

seeps from the morning fog.

Dark trunks of oak

lift their thick columns

into a flat, pewter sky.

Long branches have shed

yesterday's snow.

Dripping to the ground,

exposing soggy brown leaves.

Small pockets of ground snow

are pocked by falling drips.

Small silver drops

cling to tapered twigs.

As the end December approaches,

the front edge of winter

waits to begin 

its long, stubborn stay.

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. 2. & 3. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan 

Avocet

 

Alphabetically,

it's near the top

among ardent Auduboners:

American Avocet.

We love your bold wings

of black-white-black,

and admire the rufous wash

on your head and neck.

You wade on spindly legs

with knobby knees

through shallow water

and squashy mud flats.

Your slender, black,

upturned bill swishes

back and forth,

gleaning aquatic insects.

We especially appreciate

your elegant profile,

whether you're wading

or lifting your lithe, 

long-legged self  

into flight.                                                  

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. 3. 5. & 6. Gilbert Riparian Preserve - Gilbert, Arizona

2. Mono Lake - California

4. Plains, Kansas

God Speaks II

Although God can speak
in a number of ways,
he seems to prefer
silence.

I've heard the silence
a number of times;
and so I listen,
trying to understand.

© 2020 Richard Havenga

You may also enjoy "God Speaks" September 6, 2019

Photo Locations:

1. St. Patrick's Church - Parnell, Michigan

2. McCarthy Lake - Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

Golden Days

 

In September, Colorado aspens

become wicks of candle flame

to enlighten the foothills.

They climb steep 

mountainsides

with bands of yellow.

Backlighting

by the autumn sun

enhances their radiance. 

Aspens dazzle my days,

color the green forests,

illuminate the landscape.

Each golden day

is a new opportunity

to glorify our Creator.

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Silverton, Colorado

2. Grand Mesa, Colorado

3. San Juan National Forest - Colorado

 

Possible

I gave a little nudge

to this poem

at its beginning,

to see if it had any

potential, promise, or purpose.

The answers came back:

Probably, possibly, perhaps. 

While it hasn't exactly

made my brain sing,

it's possible that if

I probe deeper,

and push harder,

something of minor worth

may materialize

or invent itself.

However,

here in line seventeen,

nothing has happened yet,

so I may as well go

ride my bike,

or run,

or go fishing,

where at least it's possible

that I'll catch

something

by line twenty-six. 

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: McCarthy Lake - Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

Perceptive

I am always grateful

for the power of perception.

Deeper than simple observation,

perception contains the capacity

for emotion and passion.

While working in my spring garden,

a Song Sparrow singing sweetly

can make me suddenly attentive

to its joyful, solo performance,

carry music into my soul.

While fishing on McCarthy Lake,

I become conscious of

ballooning cumulus

reflecting on calm water,

surging into summer-blue skies.

While hiking in the Rocky Mountains,

my awareness is elevated

by golden waves of aspens

climbing slopes and ridges.

While running these country roads,

the autumn wind flings falling leaves

onto my head and torso,

producing a sensory experience.

While exploring the shoreline

of Pickerel Lake in early winter,

I witness the conversion

of water into ice.

I have become more receptive,

mindful and present;

influenced by the renewal and recurrence

of creation in all seasons.

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

2. McCarthy Lake - Kent County - Michigan

3. Ouray, Colorado

4. Ada Township - Kent County - Michigan

5. Pickerel Lake Park - Kent County - Michigan

Regatta

 

A flotilla of dead leaves

assembles on the leeward lobe

of Murray Lake in October.

Each leaf carries

an upturned lobe

to catch the variable wind.

Its petiole, curved upward,

becomes the bow

directing its erratic voyage.

No one, no thing,

is aboard

this tiny sailing craft,

but one observer

is watching the action

of this non-competitive regatta. 

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations: Murray Lake, - Kent County - Michigan