Queens of the Night

 

I know you must 

have touched them

at some time in your life.

The powdery scales

of moths, so soft

they rub off on your fingers.

Wearing furry skirts

on short, fluttering flights.

Queens of the night.

Attracted by your light.

 © 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Home Garden - Cannonsburg, Michigan

2. Flat River State Game Area - Lowell Township - Kent County - Michgian

Pulse of the River

 

Long, ribbonlike leaves

of aquatic plants

flex and sway, undulating

with the sweep of current.

I'm wading knee deep

along the wild banks

of the Flat River,

wide and shallow.

Like the hair

of an underwater maiden,

green strands tangle

and tickle my legs.

I touch my palm

flat to the water's surface,

believing I can feel

the pulse of the river.

© 2024 Richard Havenga

Photo Location:

Flat River - Lowell, Michigan

Short History of Rivers

From how far away did this water come?
I think of its sources; blended, mixed, combined. 
Thunderstorms and showers, snow and ice.
Tributaries, trout streams, and small creeks.
I see the collected current become this silent river. 

Listen: 

Bear Creek is somewhere in there.
Rogue River is wrapped within.
The Flat River enters at Lowell.
The Thornapple approaches from the south.
Add more from the Michigan map.

Their distinct voices are blended 
into this flowing stillness.
The Grand River is carrying its
silent chorus
into Lake Michigan. 

I am only saying: 
pay attention to the
short history of rivers.
Each river day appears the same, 
unless you account for:

the mix of molecules,
the surrounding land,
the gradient of light,
the depth of the water,
this new day.

This long linear ribbon of living current.
Always the same. Never the same.
Like time pulling you along,
when you want to wait
in this interval of now.

© 2014 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1, 7, & 8 = Grand River - Kent County, Michigan

2 & 5 = Flat River - Kent County, Michigan

3. Bear Creek - Townsend Park (Townsend) - Kent County, Michigan

4. Rogue River - Rockford Dam (Rockford Dam) - Rockford, Michigan

6. Thornapple River - Ada / Cascade, Michigan

Willow's Shadow

yellow-green willow branch
once mangled by winter ice
now stretches over current
thrives in heavy heat
backlit by morning sun

caddisflies converge
into sunlit cloud
over warm water
a dense mass of life
briefly alive

swallows and waxwings
patrol upstream, downstream
from north bank to south bank
devouring the swarming hatch
this abundant harvest of summer

under the willow's shadow
small river joins large river
their joining
smooth as summer heat
quiet as morning light





Photo Location:

Confluence of Flat River and Grand River - Lowell,  Michigan