Vessel

 

Are you using

your time on this earth

to watch and wonder,

to wait for the next

miracle to occur

in your world?

Everyday,

you are surrounded

by the beauty and bounty in nature. 

Each day is an invitation

to give thankful praise

for God's creation.

You are a vessel  

waiting to be filled,

until it pours over with gratitude.

© 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Shagbark Hickory - Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michiga

2. Pink Lady Slipper - A Kent County Park - Michigan

3. Thistle - Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

4. Santa Catalina Mountains - SaddleBrooke, Arizona

Soft Lips

 

There is no color quite like it.

I'm talking here about the

golden-yellow-orange

of these California Poppies

that flower in dazzling abundance

in Arizona's Sonoran Desert.

When a warm spring

follows a wet winter,

they spread a golden carpet

over this dry land

to enchant the casual observer.

Bring joyous color

for the serious photographer

to capture a close-up view.

The yellow-gold intensifies.

Deeper, vibrant, fully alive.

Create lovely images

in the mind

of this grateful poet

when the desert breeze

kisses the soft lips

of poppy petals.

© 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations: 

Picacho Peak State Park - Arizona

Wingtips

 

A sudden whoosh of wings.

A swarm of fluttering feathers.

As a close cluster of blackbirds

flies from a dark tree

into the gray sky.

In this organized chaos,

how do they not touch 

their wingtips?

© 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations: 

San Pedro River Riparian National Conservation Area 

San Pedro House - Sierra Vista, Arizona

Pointing to the Sky

 

A platoon of pillars.

Pale green and rigid.

Pointing to the sky.

Thick, bulging arms

grow out from the torso,

curve up to the sun.

Persevering and patient.

Enduring the relentless desert.

Saguaro Cactus survive.

© 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. & 3. Catalina State Park - Oro Valley, Arizona

2. Picacho Peak State Park - Arizona

Between Here and There

 

From here,

in the Sonoran Desert,

I can see the pines

outlined along the ridge

of the Santa Catalina Mountains.

In that expansive space

between here and there,

a single raven rides the air.

Broad, black wings glossy

in the wide blue sky.

© 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations: Arizona

The Poetry of Water

 

It's difficult to translate

the meaning of words

the mountain stream carries

as it hurries through the canyon;

bashing big boulders,

splashing through the rapids.

Elsewhere, the poetry of water slows

and swirls into clear pools;

transparent with nuance,

tranquil with meaning.

I kneel for a closer look.

Fine grasses and golden sky light 

reflect on the smooth surface.

Through the clear lens of water

I examine the bottom of the pool

and read in the rippled sand

the words collected there:

Slow down. Be still.

Observe the smallest

contours of creation.

But this poem 

does not end

here.

© 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Arkansas River - Buena Vista, Colorado

2. Rocky Mountain National Park - Colorado

3. Santa Catalina Mountains - Arizona

 

 

Tracks

I returned to the boot tracks
I left in the snowfield
the day before yesterday.

Today, they contained tiny seeds
from Mullein and Evening Primrose,
blown in by the winter wind.

Today, a batch of Horned Larks
and Dark-eyed Juncos
are feeding in the trough of my tracks.

© 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. & 2. Kent County - Michigan

3. Buena Vista, Colorado

4. Madera Canyon - Arizona

Pastel Prisms

 

A singular splash

of vivid illumination

highlights the fringes

of veiled cirrus.

Filaments of light

captivate our attention.

Pastel prisms high

in the desert sky.

© 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations: Saddlebrooke, Arizona

Sonoran Silence

 

In the quiet solitude

of the Sonoran Desert;

Saguaro Cactus

tower over my head.

Mexican Poppies

glow golden at my feet.

Teddy Bear Chollas

are backlit by the sun.

Absolute silence

permeates my soul.

© 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. & 3. Saguaro National Park ~ East - Tucson, Arizona

2. Picacho Peak State Park - Arizona

Geography of Dreams

 

The inner landscapes of my mind

have been shaped by a language

learned and discerned

from connections with nature.

Mountains, meadows, woods and fields.

Rivers, lakes, oceans and streams.

They blend together to become

the geography of my dreams.

© 2025 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Canyon de Chelly - Arizona

2. Wyoming

3. West Elk Wilderness - Colorado

My Friend the Moon

 

The moon is like a living thing.

I give it much more attention

than the average human being.

It travels across the night sky,

and sometimes lingers in the daylight.

Appearing and disappearing.

Growing and shrinking.

Waxing and waning.

I anticipate her fullness,

rising after the sun has set.

I eagerly seek 

her first new crescent;

a sliver of silver,

and miss her when she's hidden

behind the overcast.

I photograph her in all her moods,

and write poems about her.

My friend the moon.

Worthy of reflection.

© 2025 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Home Sky - Kent County -  Michigan

2. North Fort Myers, Florida

3. SaddleBrooke, Arizona

4. Crooked Lake - Kent County - Michigan

5. Vero Beach, Florida

6. Home Sky - Kent County - Michigan

7. Bozeman, Montana 

Ready

 

I am eager to discover,

in the heavenly realm,

the mysteries experienced in this world

during our human existence. 

Will we understand then

what we cannot comprehend now?

The miracles of creation on earth?

Our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit?

When all is finally revealed,

the joy will be overwhelming.

I am ready.

© 2024 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Grand River - Grand Rapids, Michigan

2. Santa Catalina Mountains - Oro Valley, Arizona

3. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan

Willing Witness

 

If I should ever be summoned,

I would be a willing witness.

When placed on the stand,

I would raise my right hand,

and swear to tell the truth,

and the whole truth,

so God would help me recall

the multiple miracles of creation

that I've witnessed outdoors

during my life of abundant blessings.

© 2025 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan

2. SaddleBrooke, Arizona 

Mary

 

When Mary retired in 2008,

she didn't slow down.

She still loves to go Birding

every spring. 

Here, she is hiking Angel's Landing 

in Zion National Park.

She plays tennis in Michigan,

Arizona and Florida.

Enjoys a spectacular view,

in sometimes risky locations!

Enjoys a stroll along Lake Michigan,

or the Atlantic Ocean. 

Knows how to relax along a river,

and read a good book outdoors.

Knows her mind, and does not

straddle the fence.

Knows how to have fun.

Is a very classy lady.

© 2025 Richard Havenga