These unrelenting waves
surge over the sandbar,
then swish and hiss
upon the sloping shore;
repeating the ocean's lyrics
in a pulsating presence:
now,
now,
now...
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Pacific Ocean ~ Oregon Coast
2. Pacific Ocean ~ Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Sitting at the shoreline again,
watching shorebirds feeding.
Waiting for the right words
to come in with the tide.
Perhaps they will arrive today.
Maybe tomorrow.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
I'm perfectly content, at least satisfied,
to let the inexplicable mysteries of nature
remain mysterious, unresolved.
Not every thing, or process, or event
can be transcribed into language,
and understood using mere words.
To acknowledge beauty,
to cultivate awareness,
to believe in miracles.
That is enough for me.
The transformative power
of paying attention;
that is contentment,
that is enough.
To approach the divine
is more than enough.
© 2025 Richard Havenga
Photo Location: Pacific Ocean - La Jolla, California
You are reading these words
as I have written them:
Transparent as Lake Superior's water.
Clear as the night sky in the desert.
Soft as the petals of Arizona's poppies.
Colorful as October woods in Michigan.
Generous as the ocean pushing onto the shore.
Fresh as spring daffodils in your garden.
Dependable as the seasons turning.
Striving as acorns aspire to become oaks.
© 2025 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Whitefish Point Bird Observatory - Upper Peninsula- Michigan
2. La Jolla, California
3. Wabasis Lake Park & Campground - Kent County - Michigan
There is more room to listen
when you choose to go outside.
There's an expansive space to contemplate.
Find your personal place to meditate.
It's easy to calm your own chatter,
to intentionally practice listening.
Ready to receive quiet inspiration.
A gift you can give yourself.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Coronado Island - San Diego, California
2. Estero, Florida
3. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan
Let us always notice
the fine brushstrokes
that God has applied
to our created world.
These numerous gifts
of visible grace
worthy of our
gratitude.
May we always be
awake, and watching.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Home Sky - Cannonsburg, Michigan
2. Oro Valley, Arizona
3. Yosemite National Park - California
On this Memorial Day,
I salute and respect
all the Veterans
from the Armed Forces
of the United States of America
who sacrificed their lives
so that we may live
our lives in freedom.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery - San Diego, California
2. Santa Fe National Cemetery - Santa Fe, New Mexico
inside the contours
of his creation on earth
God hides while we seek
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Location:
Point Reyes National Seashore - (Tomales Point) - California
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
"I honestly think in order to be a writer, you have to learn to be reverent."
~ Anne LaMott p.99 Bird by Bird © 1994
I truly believe
that you should be able
to find awe in every
day of your life.
That God is intrinsic
in all of his creation.
That the paying of your attention
results in a tremendous
return on investment.
So, reduce your screen time,
get outdoors, be present.
Try to remember
each sight, sound
and sensation.
Now,
take some time
to write.
© 2023 Richard Havenga
You may also enjoy "Inheritance" - March 10, 2022
Photo Locations:
2. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan
3. Fallasburg Park - Kent County - Michigan
4. Coronado Island - San Diego, California
5. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan
The weightlessness of dreams.
The way clouds drift through the sky.
The tangle of thoughts in the mind.
The way driftwood accumulates on the shore.
The gravity of memories.
The way rivers return to the ocean.
© 2023 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Tuolumne Meadows - Yosemite National Park - California
2. Missouri River - Williston, North Dakota
3. La Jolla, California
This poet likes to be near
the color of water.
The sound of the rapids.
The smell of spring rain.
The prisms of morning dew.
The long, flowing rivers.
The expanse of the oceans.
To summon their influence.
To color the words.
© 2023 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Pickerel Lake Park / Fred Meijer Nature Preserve - Cannonsburg, Michigan
2. North Fork Payette River - Idaho
3. Mount Tamalpais - California
Are you still
filling that space
between birth and death?
Taking enough time
to embrace
the unique gifts of nature?
Walking on paths
not paved or cemented,
but soft as leaves on soil?
Reading more books
rather than
staring at screens?
Traveling to
those national parks
you've always wanted to see?
Have you learned
how to fall in love
with this time you were given?
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. & 2. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan
3. Home Library
4. Glacier National Park - Montana
5. Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery - San Diego, California
When an exclusive gift
is presented by a loving God,
it carries a responsibility;
to be cultivated, amplified, and shared
to celebrate His glory,
to praise our God,
from whom all blessings flow.
So, as I seek inspiration
and understanding,
I invite the Holy Spirit
into my work,
and promise to rekindle
the gifts bestowed
upon my soul.
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Butchart Gardens - Victoria, British Columbia
2. Spring Lake, Michigan
3. Coronado Island - California
Does your breath
come faster and deeper
when you're flying
versus perching?
Like when I'm running
versus walking?
How often and how long
do you rest while migrating?
Maybe every ten to twelve hours
like when I'm driving cross-country?
How exactly does your navigation system work?
Is it similar to my truck's GPS?
How do you build such cool
and functional nests
with only two feet and a beak?
We need manufactured materials;
lumber, metals, plastics,
and a plethora of power tools.
How is your diet so simple;
seeds, insects, berries, worms and larvae?
We plant, process and package
our protein and nutrition.
How long will you,
your particular species,
survive and multiply,
if we first do you no harm?
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Swallow-tailed Kite ~ Collier County - Florida
2. Yellow-headed Blackbirds - San Pedro House ~ Sierra Vista, Arizona
3. Snow Geese ~ Bosque del Apache NWR - San Antonio, New Mexico
4. Yellow-throated Vireo ~ Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan
5. Cedar Waxwing~ Home Garden - Cannonsburg, Michigan
6. American Avocet ~ Mono Lake, California
7. White-crowned Night Heron ~ "Ding" Darling NWR - Sanibel Island - Florida
