Pilgrim's Place

 

The ground in these woods

is mottled with splashes

of slanting sunshine, 

warming small patches

of  this fall's leaves.

I find a place to sit:

dried Sugar Maple leaves

for my cushion,

a massive maple trunk

as my backrest.

A quiet, comfortable place

to read Annie Dillard's

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

for the fifth time

in fifty years.

Admiring her words, and

now valuing her autograph;

since she died recently,

in mid-September of this year.

Still trying to understand myself

and my ascribed place in this world.

Seeking new perceptions

and treasuring the gifts

I've already been given.

© 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Vergennes Township - Kent County - Michigan

2. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan

3. & 4. My Library - Cannonsburg, Michigan