My words do not
crash from the clouds
and rumble like thunder
echoing in the atmosphere.
like the sound of petals
curling open to reveal
the essence of the flower.
Like the soundless rise
of the morning sun
birthing a new day
with the soft music of poetry.
Silent treasures
brought into the light of today.
Carrying the quiet hope
of one more tomorrow.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. 2. 3. Balloon Flower -Home Garden - Cannonsburg, Michigan
I am mesmerized,
hypnotized by the ensemble
of dark, mellowing light
on the shallowing waves
of Lake Michigan
as they slide gently
upon the shore;
colors fading into subtle
as the day calms
into evening.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Location: Grand Haven State Park - Michigan
It usually takes
only a few good words
to get a poem started.
Maybe an old photograph
from the archives of time;
black and white memories.
Photos I can pinpoint
on the map of my mind,
the irreplaceable ones.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Location: Harlem, Montana
The Gray Catbird
begins his daily report
while hidden
in the twigs
of this leafy spring.
Occasionally,
he nudges out to the edges
of the dense brush,
where we can admire
his dark, rich gray,
and his narrow
black beret.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations: Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan
There are seventy-five years
of distance between me,
and the black and white photograph
of a little boy on a rope swing.
My father, Richard,
made this rope swing;
tied to a high tree branch,
sturdy and strong like he was.
My mother, Lillian,
who took the photo in 1951,
said I was a shy and quiet little boy.
I would like to get
inside his head.
I would like
to give him a push.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Location: Ada Township - Kent County - Michigan
At the front edge of dawn,
on this morning in May,
a chorus of birdsong
reaches my grateful ears;
becomes an aria
to start my day.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Prothonotary Warbler - Kalamazoo River - Allegan State Game Area - Michigan
2. Bobolink - Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan
