A cluster of Cottonwoods
gathers along the Platte River
in Nebraska.
The prairie wind
creates a clatter
in the congregation
of brittle leaves.
I listen carefully.
Their conversation is
about the far horizon;
recalling their shimmering youth,
before roads paved the prairie.
When badgers and buffaloes belonged.
© 2021 Richard Havenga
On a late summer walk,
two steps into the hayfield,
young grasshoppers, by the dozens,
are snapping their new wings.
They leap and land,
leap and land;
steps ahead of
my invading hiking boots,
which must seem like
a ground storm to them.
They leap and land,
like tiny mortar rounds,
sprinkling the green field
and grasses like
live drops of rain.
© 2021 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1, 2, & 3. Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan
Through the lazy afternoons,
of deep green summer,
American Goldfinches
sing and vacillate in flight
above the canopy of hardwoods.
Occasionally,
they come down to feed
in the seed heads
of my maturing garden.
They especially like
the Purple Coneflowers
and Cosmos; "windflowers".
Balancing on a bending stem,
they maneuver into position
and pick out the hidden seeds.
Closer now, he's so handsome
in his lemon-yellow jacket
with black and white wings
and sporty black cap.
And off they go again,
singing through their undulations.
© 2021 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1, 2, 3, & 4. Home Garden - Cannonsburg, Michigan
The immensity of the land
rolled toward the horizon in waves.
The farmers and ranchers
were held by the land
that provided for them.
They worked the land;
planted, cultivated, harvested.
Held fast to the land
as they watched the horizon.
And in their eyes,
and in their hearts,
they held a love of the land
that was incomprehensible
to those passing by
on the highways.
© 2021 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Brockton, Montana
2. Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan
4. & 5. Wilburton, Kansas
As this August evening cools,
a breath of a breeze
sifts through the screen
onto my head and shoulders,
brings soothing relief
after a week of humid heat.
I sigh, breathe deeply,
and continue to write:
about the bats
with their skittering flight
as dusk descends,
about the Snowy Tree Crickets
trying to synchronize their sounds
from the string section
high in the canopy of trees,
about the fireflies
flashing their yellow-green lanterns
under the darkening woods.
© 2021 Richard Havenga
Videos taken with Samsung Galaxy S-10 from Home Woods
A flotilla of cumulus
arrives
fresh from the west;
bringing character
and definition
to the summer sky.
Providing skyscapes
above the landscapes
for this dedicated
cloud-watcher.
© 2021 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
2. Home Sky - Cannonsburg, Michigan
3. Pickerel Lake Park - Fred Meijer Nature Preserve - Cannonsburg, Michigan
the end of the day
the shoulder of the mountain
cradles evening sun
© 2021 Richard Havenga
Photo Location:
Moran, Wyoming
Oh!
The sweet fragrance
rising from the white clumps
of Black Locust blossoms.
The southwest wind
conveys the heavy perfume
long before my approach.
Stopping on my run
for a drink of water,
I see hundreds of bees
attracted, addicted.
I examine closely
the magnificence
of its inflorescence;
curled and convoluted
clusters of sheer joy.
A lavish display
of pure pageantry.
© 2021 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations: Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan
Like poets,
they do not have a large audience,
yet, they move, when they must,
with a grace that's resilient, benevolent.
Yielding to waves.
Persuaded by the wind.
Enduring winter's ice.
Emerging in the spring.
Arching above the water
with architectural strength.
Like poets,
they do not have
a large audience.
They simply
live a life
of quiet existence.
© 2021 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
2. 3. & 4. McCarthy Lake - Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan
