Shine

 

A poet always hopes

that the poem's words

will shine upon the page.

Be illuminated 

by the early light

of a June morning.

Create a sense of rhythm,

like the wavelets

licking the sandy shore.

Or the whooshing, rushing music

of a mountain stream

dancing with boulders.

Perhaps a gentle breeze

lifting and lilting

tiers of new maple leaves.

To wed experience with imagination.

Imagery with ingenuity.

Vision with enhanced awareness.

© 2024 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Home Sky - Cannonsburg, Michigan

2. Lake Michigan - Grand Haven State Park - Michigan

3. Arkansas River - Buena Vista, Colorado

Last Light

 

Dark silhouettes of Canada Geese

hurry past, on their way

to the shallow wetlands

of Saul Lake Bog;

gliding in low,

arriving at dusk,

as calm water

catches the day's last light,

and the soft breasts

of settling geese.

© 2024 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve

Floating on the Clouds

 

The sky seems bluer

when seen between

a flock of clouds.

Cumulus passing silently

over the reflective lake.

In my kayak,

I'm floating on the clouds,

riding in the blue sky.

© 2024 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. McCarthy Lake - Kent County - Michigan

Expression

When you bring attention

to the intricate design,

beauty and diversity

of God's creation,

you become an expression

of His love for humankind.

By observing nature

like an artist

with focused awareness

and deep appreciation,

you become a part

of that creation. 

© 2024 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Home Fields - Cannonsburg, Michigan

2. Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

3. Home Garden - Cannonsburg, Michigan

Into the Silence

 

I'm yearning, again,

for a walk in the wild.

Another rigorous hike

on the shoulder

of a mountain.

A place to avoid voices,

escape the noise,

and vanish

into the silence.

© 2024 Richard Havenga

Photo Location:

1. West Elk Wilderness - Colorado

Tractor Days

Crops are emerging

from the warming soil;

corn and soybeans reaching

into the wide sky,

this rural farmland swept

with long summer light,

because farmers

have been working

their long tractor days

and nights.

© 2024 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Amboy, Illinois

2. West Olive, Michigan 

3. Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

 

More

 

I have urged myself

to love this world,

and it has loved me

in return.

I have shared

its gifts,

the quiet secrets,

its hidden treasures.

I have chosen

beauty and mystery

from the intricacies

of nature.

Each time I respond

with sincere gratitude,

I am given more,

always more to discover.

© 2024 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Wild Columbine ~ Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

2. Avalanche Lily / Glacier Lily ~ Snowy Range Mountains - Wyoming

3. Lupine ~ South Fork, Colorado

Sharing Excerpts

 

Time is the illusion

that carries us along

as we watch the sun

slanting between the clouds,

while sitting on the deck

drinking hot coffee

from our favorite mugs,

and sharing excerpts

from the books we're reading,

while I'm thinking about how

I should end this poem.

© 2024 Richard Havenga