An ambitious wind
pushes the stiff arms
of these tall palms.
Brittle fronds rattle and clack,
but are just flexible enough
to hold their folds
through another storm.
Resilient palms,
bearing their own hope.
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. North Fort Myers, Florida
2. Catalina, Arizona
3. Estero, Florida
Has anyone ever witnessed
the precise second
when a microscopic scale
falls from a butterfly's wing,
because it brushed lightly
on the petal of a flower?
One minute scale among
tens of thousands,
layered in layers,
flashing their colors,
reflecting the light.
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Viceroy - Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan
2. Meadow Fritillary - Home Garden - Cannonsburg, Michigan
3. Tiger Swallowtail - Home Garden - Cannonsburg, Michigan
The meadowlark is silhouetted
in the dimming light of dusk.
I heard his musical song
sung for the last time today.
Then the silence of the night
embraced the spacious prairie.
Until the secretive crickets
started filing their raspy instruments.
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Location:
Crow Indian Reservation - Crow Agency - Montana
From this wooden platform
high above Lake Michigan,
my eyes are scanning through
magnificent shades of blue.
Along this discernable
curvature of the earth,
the horizon's sharp, silver edge
is the threshold of heaven.
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. 2. 3. Arcadia, Michigan
When you reach the heart of the desert,
under the vast dome of blue sky,
and walk into the deep silence,
will you then feel the presence
of our Creator God?
Will you stand among the tall Saguaro
and feel small next to their height?
Will you be astonished
at the diversity of cactus species,
and how they survive in this arid land?
Can you abide the pure stillness?
Find comfort in tranquility?
Listen to the quiet?
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. 2. 4. Catalina State Park - Tucson, Arizona
3. Saguaro National Park - Tucson, Arizona
Wading in the residue
of this world we now live in,
I try to keep my focus
on the world outdoors.
I much prefer wading in
clear mountain streams
than the digital streaming
on the flooded internet.
Wading the shallows
of lakes and rivers,
Great Blue Herons survive
on patience and persistence.
God, please grant me these traits,
as I watch and witness
with wonder and gratitude
your countless gifts of creation.
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Clark Fork River - Montana
2. Rogue River - Rockford, Michigan
3. Blackfoot River - Missoula, Montana
As a child, it was all about
rambunctious energy and play.
Now, in my mid-seventies,
I understand contentment.
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Running and tennis
still energize my body.
Writing and reading
still stimulate my mind.
I had never dreamed
of becoming a poet.
With nature always available,
I will never run out of content.
Writing poetry
makes me feel content.
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
2. SaddleBrooke - Arizona
The long light of this wide morning
creates sharp shadows on the grass.
Until afternoon clouds grow into gray sheets
when shadow edges blur and disappear.
The faint breath of a warm breeze
waggles summer Petunias on the deck.
Then the sun will drop to end this day,
but the horizon light will linger longer.
And a new crescent moon
will rise into the night.
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Home Deck - Cannonsburg, Michigan
2. Home Sky - Cannonsburg, Michigan
Here are five factors
that fortify our freedom
on Independence Day:
(left to right)
U.S. Air Force
U.S. Navy
U.S. Marines
U.S. Army
U.S. Coast Guard
God Bless the USA !
Photo Locations:
1. Memorial Hill - Midway/Heber Valley, Utah
2. Rockford, Michigan
