Now that you have
escaped the screens and devices,
the crowds and the traffic,
the offensive noise of he world,
you are fully capable
of engaging in
a deep, spiritual activity
of reflective listening.
Mindfully considering
the source of natural sounds.
Respecting the simplicity
of its genesis,
as you listen with reverence
and quiet alertness
to the silence that
precedes and concludes it.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
The slow summer heat
loitered into mid-September,
so I lingered on the deck
until my written words
were obscured
by the deepening dusk,
and contentment
filled my cup.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
erect on their stiff stalks,
catch your outside eye
as they flare in the wind.
They dominate
the early autumn landscape
before aging into
weathered gray flags.
Finally, to rise above
deep winter snows,
erect on stiff stalks.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. 2. & 3. Kent County - Michigan
Long, ribbonlike leaves
of aquatic plants
flex and sway, undulating
with the sweep of current.
I'm wading knee deep
along the wild banks
of the Flat River,
wide and shallow.
Like the hair
of an underwater maiden,
green strands tangle
and tickle my legs.
I touch my palm
flat to the water's surface,
believing I can feel
the pulse of the river.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Location:
Flat River - Lowell, Michigan
Standing firmly
on the sand dunes
above Lake Michigan,
I'm intrigued, again, to view
the barely perceptible
curvature of the earth.
Contemplating the infinite horizon
where water meets the sky
at the edge of time.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Location:
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore ~ Michigan
They're created overnight,
in the calm darkness,
these exquisite orbs of silk.
Concentric circles
strengthened by
radiating strands.
A spectrum of rainbowed streaks
shimmering in the morning sun.
Arachne weaving daylight.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve Estero, Florida
2. Home Fields - Cannonsburg, Michigan
