Writing words of poetry
is like watching
autumn leaves blow
during October's final days.
I try to catch a few
when I'm running
as they fall through the sky.
It's not easy to predict
where they'll fly to,
or where they will land.
Sometimes they hit me
square in the face.
© 2024 Richard Havena
Like rain falling
onto the lake's surface;
whether soft and gentle,
or hard and harsh;
we absorb
what life brings us
and are grateful for the grace
to carry on, to persevere.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Vines climbed the side of the barn.
Not the broadside, but on the south.
Mostly Virginia Creeper leaves
with a few Wild Grapes entwined.
It was late September
near Peshawbestown.
And as I took the photo,
I thought about the old windows.
The history behind the frames.
The mystery behind the glass.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. & 2. Peshawbestown, Michigan
After getting battered
by this leaf blizzard,
I am now shuffling through
a multi-colored mosaic;
a layer of crisp leaves
covering this woodland trail.
I'm dazzled again by
October's opulence.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
With little fanfare,
summer slips into autumn
in each individual leaf
as it turns from green
to yellow, gold, or bronze,
then falls silently to earth
and lies there quietly
with a million others,
until you make one leaf special
by selecting it
and picking it up.
This one in a million,
now pressed in the pages,
within the words
of a poetry book.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Location: Home Library
It must be pleasant to live
at a small, inland lake,
and enjoy the simple benefits
that are often overlooked.
Like watching the tracks
of the wind on water,
or the simple signature
of the rain.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Sometimes,
my pen hovers
above these blue lines
on my yellow pad,
hesitant, and groping.
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Waiting for anticipation
to molt into inspiration.
Awaiting a song lyric
to spark a starting line.
To find by chance,
a ten year old poem
from my old notebooks.
To reinvigorate
my lyrical poetics,
my creative imagery.
To activate my
hovering pen.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
As September merges with October,
Staghorn Sumac captures our attention.
Displaying a pleasing palette
of bold autumn colors.
Perfectly pinnacle leaves aligned.
Flaunting red, orange and yellow
on sharp-toothed leaflets
tapering to their tips.
Crowned with clusters
and clumps of fuzzy berries
in burgundy and scarlet;
our showy, native shrub.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1, 2, 3, & 4. Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan
This massive White Oak
sends its roots
deep into the earth,
probing the heart of gravity.
Its crown spreads wide,
capturing life-giving energy;
the miracle of photosynthesis
performed with the summer sun,
under a transparent sky.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Lowell Township - Kent County - Michigan
