harvest

 

October harvest

flags of gold and tubes of red

a wall of cornstalks

© 2022 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

Filling Space

 

Are you still

filling that space

between birth and death?

Taking enough time

to embrace

the unique gifts of nature?

Walking on paths

not paved or cemented,

but soft as leaves on soil?

Reading more books

rather than

staring at screens?

Traveling to

those national parks

you've always wanted to see?

Have you learned

how to fall in love

with this time you were given?

© 2022 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. & 2. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan

3. Home Library

4. Glacier National Park - Montana

5. Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery - San Diego, California

Fragments of Memory

 for Aaron Havenga  (April 2, 1975 ~ November 20, 1994)

Attempting to measure time;

the volume that I've lived,

my memory is flawed, fractured.

Too many cracks in the container

where important thoughts escape.

Too many vacancies in the vessel

intended to carry experiences.

Aaron's absence has lingered

for twenty-eight years.

My wife and daughter help me remember

the sweet memories of his life.

I treasure each story they tell,

recalling the precious reflections.

Gathering the priceless fragments.

Trying to store them in my fractured heart.

© 2022 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Pentwater, Michigan

Unveiled

 for Barb Brege

She was a teacher

seeking to reveal the gifts

her young students

were still unaware of.

A classroom of faces,

their eyes bright with sparkle,

their dreams waiting 

to be unmasked.

Too young to see

what she saw;

their hidden gifts

waiting to be unveiled

in the invisible future.

© 2022 Richard Havenga

Photo Location:

Old Schoolhouse (1896) Marion County - Kansas

 

Now in November

 

During the long, warm

days of summer,

you can almost hear

the trees breathing,

their pulse vigorous and strong,

reaching for the light.

Green. Growth. Growing.

Now in November,

after the long shed of leaves,

the stripped trees

seem ready for slumber,

a season of lethargy.

Dark. Cold. Bare.

© 2022 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Fallasburg Park - Kent County - Michigan

2. Home Road

3. Home

Curtain of Light

 

Near the end of my early run

I am greeted by the slanting rays

of the sun through morning fog.

Long limbs reach out overhead

along this quiet country road.

As I advance toward

this curtain of light,

I want to run through

the golden gate

and rejoice in God's glory

on the other side.

© 2022 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

Morning Celebration

for Rob Beahan

He was loyal in attending

the ceremonial dawn,

and the grand announcement

by the sensational sunrise:

"Here is your brand new day!"

He hoped to be a dedicated witness

to the slow development of morning.

To be captivated by the subtle way

that light mates with color.

He planned to be present

at the creation of each new day;

to witness the pageant,

to be in the audience,

a part of the morning

celebration.

© 2022 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Moran, Wyoming

2. McCarthy Lake - Kent County - Michigan

3. Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

Finding Poetry II

 

Once again, 

I'm driving these country roads,

following the curves, 

the backroads of my mind;

hoping to discover

new images that can fill

the pages of my notebook.

I will stop often,

get out of the truck,

and use my camera.

Walking slow, I notice more.

Stopping often, I absorb

the secrets of the land.

Collecting fragments

and intricate details,

I begin to find my poetry.

© 2022 Richard Havenga

You may also like: "Finding Poetry" - December 23, 2019 

Photo Locations:

1. Crested Butte, Colorado

2. Louisville, Colorado

3. Sonoita, Arizona

4. Canon Township - Kent County - Michigan

Coming Back

 

I love to drive these backroads.

These empty, gravel, backroads,

especially coming back from town

to do too many mundane errands.

The closer I get to home,

the slower I drive;

trying to notice something new

after twenty-five years here.

Time slowing down.

Time irrelevant.

I drive until I arrive.

Gratitude never stops.

© 2022 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations: 

1. Ada Township - Kent County - Michigan

2. Home Road - Kent County - Michigan