the source

 

find the source of light

that illuminates your life

follow it with faith

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming

Word Stones

 

These words were just pulled

out of the Kootenai River,

and they shimmer briefly

in the pure mountain light.

These precious, persistent stones,

jeweled by the summer sun.

 

The sparkle then faded,

the color was subdued,

as they dried in the air,

but the stones will last

beyond these words,

and I may never 

pass this way again.

So I chose one stone

to put in my pocket,

then into the truck,

and weeks later display

on my library shelf. 

To remember the river

and how stones

can turn into words,

and words

can turn into stone.

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. 2. 3. Kootenai River - Libby, Montana

Cold Light

 

After months underground,

gripped by frozen soil,

Snow Drops defy the snow,

respond to the cold light

of an early March morning. 

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations: Home Garden - Cannonsburg, Michigan

Dark Bones

 

The dark bones of winter trees

reach out with long arms,

test the air with bare hands.

Hold within hard buds:

still life, tightly bundled;

persevering, patient.

Ready to burst in the spring,

to surge into new life.

Taste the air with new leaves.

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Eastern Cottonwood - McCarthy Lake - Kent County - Michigan

2. White Oak - Lowell Township - Kent County - Michigan

3. Red Oak - Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

4. American Beech - Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

Winter Weight

 

Pulling off the warm blanket of sleep,

I turn my gaze to the cold stare of winter.

Fields filled with fresh, new snow.

Heavy clouds that brought last night's storm

are now passing east, tearing apart.

A low, late morning sun breaks through

to illuminate a thousand points of light.

Jeweled prisms captivate my sight

as the weight of this winter day

begins to lighten.

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Centennial, Wyoming

2. Ada Township - Kent County - Michigan

3. Pickerel Lake Park - Fred Meijer Nature Preserve - Kent County - Michigan

4. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan

Punching Out Cancer

 for Lisa

We all harbor a subdued fear

that it may show up in our lives.

You came out of your corner

not expecting this formidable foe.

You accepted the grim prognosis.

Considered it a challenge to conquer.

You put on the gloves

and prepared for the fight.

Your faith in God and self-confidence

was an invincible team. 

You kept pounding your enemy

until it gave in, gave up.

But you never gave up hope,

and now you are a champion!

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Location:

TITLE Boxing Club - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Blue Flame

A Blue Jay plummets

into the sudden scene,

and all the smaller birds

scatter from the feeder.

Body-hop, head-bob, glare;

his vibrant feathers flare.

A blue-white flame

on a gray winter day.

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Home Feeders & Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

 

Feels Like

 

After the sun sets

behind the mountains,

as dusk gradually arrives,

there is a slight breeze

that rolls softly

down the shoulders

of the foothills.

It feels like

a prayer of gratitude

to finish this blessed day.

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Location:

Moran, Wyoming (with the Grand Tetons peeking through)

Old Cattails

 

Old cattails, browning with age,

bulge in late autumn wetlands.

Erect on stiff stalks,

they persist into winter.

Black-capped Chickadees

grasp the heads with tiny toes.

Hammer the dense cylinders;

brown cigars in the swamp.

They peck and probe

until the cattails explode.

Extract hidden larvae

deep within the spikes.

Releasing fine fibers of fluff

into blustery winter winds.

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. 2. 3. Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

4. Rogue River - Rockford, Michigan