Senses

 

Can you taste

the salty water on your lips

while being thrashed by Atlantic waves?

Or smell the freshness

of spring soil

during an April rain shower?

Can you see diamonds

in the morning dew

sparkling on blades of grass?

Or hear the

melody of the Wood Thrush

singing from his secret woods?

Can you feel the gifts

placed all around you,

waiting for your discovery?

© 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Sunset Beach, North Carolina

2. Lee County - Illinois

3. Home Fields - Cannonsburg, Michigan

4. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

Ocean Light

Ocean light

makes my eyes squint,

but brightens my day

as I behold the palette of blues.

A squadron of Brown Pelicans

glides above the rolling waves.

I hear the tuneful whistle

of an Osprey near its nest.

My face is brushed

by a gentle gulf breeze.

I am entranced

by ocean light.

                                                                © 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. & 2. Sanibel Island - Florida

3. Lowdermilk Park - Naples, Florida

Impressions

 

Way up here,

in northeast New England,

I climb the granite slope

that slides into the Atlantic.

Kelp clings to wet boulders

at low tide.

At the top of the ridge,

pines and spruce anchor in the sparse soil.

A thin fog creates

a satin veil over the water.

Small islands, mounded and forested,

rise from the quiet bay.

First impressions

are lasting impressions

from my first visit to

Acadia National Park.

© 2025 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations: 

Acadia National Park - Bar Harbor, Maine

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

The Open Ocean

 

No billboards, no power poles,

no high-rise buildings,

no traffic congestion,

no street lights.

Only the broad horizon,

the wide open ocean

revealing the curvature of the earth

where the sea meets the sky.

I've come here

to refresh my spirit,

to watch waves

wash the sandy shore.

To listen to the power

of the Atlantic.

To imagine the ocean open

from here to Africa.

© 2025 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Vero Beach, Florida

Atlantic Moonrise

 

The full moon is shrouded

behind a translucent curtain

of marbled stratus.

Rising over the Atlantic.

Shimmering the saltwater.

Enhancing the evening.

The wind.

The waves.

The warmth.

Immeasurable pleasure

at this Florida beach,

brimming with treasure.

© 2025 Richard Havenga

* Photo Location: South Park Beach, Vero Beach, Florida

The Edge

 

Aren't we all

irresistibly attracted

to the edge of the ocean,

because when we gaze

across this vast space

supporting a limitless sky,

we strive to contemplate

eternity?

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. & 2. Sunset Beach, North Carolina

Compass

 

Like the pull of the earth

on a compass needle,

he was drawn in all directions

to explore diverse geographies.

Mountains, plains, deserts.

Rivers, lakes, streams.

Atlantic, Pacific, Great Lakes.

North, South, East, West.

Encouraged by desire.

Motivated to travel.

Restored by hope.

Inspired by the Spirit.

Every road trip,

all the hiking trails,

each photo excursion,

made him feel alive.

Born to be 

a "ramblin' man".

Always leaving,

always gone.

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Home Deck

2. Florence, Arizona

3. Lake Michigan - Grand Haven, Michigan

4. Rocky Mountain National Park - Colorado

5. Atlantic Ocean - Sunset Beach - North Carolina

6. Sandhill Cranes - Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge - New Mexico

The Shiny Ocean

 

I long to hear the song

of the shiny ocean

gliding onto shallow shores,

polishing the slopes of sand

with a brief shimmering light;

again, again, and again.

I want to return

to the seashore

to watch the Willets

dancing in and out,

leaving tiny tracks

along the reach of the surf.

To witness Brown Pelicans

flying in formation

skimming close to the surface, then

plunging their massive bodies

headlong into the water;

a scoop of cold fish soup.

After these many winters

hiking dry desert washes,

I thirst for the sensation

of waves washing my feet,

and the wide horizon curving away,

carrying shiny ocean dreams.

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1.  Beverly Beach State Park - Oregon

2. La Jolla, California

3. Barefoot Beach - Florida

4. Barefoot Beach - Naples, Florida 

5. Sanibel Island - Florida

Horizon

 

Is that eternity I see

on the distant horizon

where ocean meets sky?

I'm becoming aware

of the divine presence

just beyond my reach.

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Delnor Wiggins Pass State Park - Naples, Florida

Returning

 

Returning

to the Atlantic Ocean

is like a homecoming.

Although my home

is on a pleasant peninsula

between the Great Lakes,

the warm water

of Florida's gulf coast

is always welcoming.

The perpetual motion

of the soothing surf

carries contentment,

shimmering in the sunlight,

settling into saturated sand,

washing my thoughts upon the shore.

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. & 3. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park - Florida

2. Grand Haven State Park - Michigan

Weather on the Moon

 

If there is no weather on the moon,

I would never want to live there.

I prefer the atmosphere here,

since my birth on the earth.

Take me climbing in the Rocky Mountains,

or walking the Lake Michigan shores.

I will trek the Arizona deserts,

or stroll the Atlantic Ocean beaches.

I can see the moon from any place here,

so why would I want to go there?

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. West Elk Wilderness - Colorado

2. Florence, Arizona

3. Sunset Beach, North Carolina

4. Fort Myers, Florida

 

Timeless

 

These ocean waves

keep repeating

the relentless

movement of time.

And as you inhabit 

your own physical form,

can you possibly imagine

the eternity of your soul

carried on the breath

of the Holy Spirit

to an incomprehensible realm;

the timeless eternal kingdom?

© 2022 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Neptune State Scenic Viewpoint - Oregon

2. Sanibel Island - Florida

Calm

He seemed to be surrounded
by a calm stillness;
a calm that he wore
with comfort. 

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Sunset Beach, North Carolina

May You Walk V

May you walk along the ridge
above spring-green aspens vibrant in the valley. 

May you walk between clumps of sage
scattered and spaced over red dirt deserts.

May you walk among dense, dark ferns
unfurling on the floor of the forest.

May you walk under pillars of Ponderosa Pine, 
and inhale the aroma of butterscotch-vanilla-honey. 

May you walk, upon waking, in the morning woods
vibrant with the voices of vireos. 

May you walk on the ocean's sandy shores
resplendent with the rising sun.

May you walk through the seasons of your life attentive and alert,
with a joyful sense of gratitude.

© 2018 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Peaceful Valley, Colorado

2. Canyonlands National Park - Utah

3. Cinnamon Fern - Home Woods - Kent County - Michigan 

4. Pinesdale, Montana

5. Yellow-throated Vireo - Home Woods - 

6. Sunset Beach, North Carolina

You may also enjoy: 

May You Walk III  - July 20, 2015

May You Walk II - January 12, 2015