Essence of Summer

 

I step onto the deck

this fine July morning

and a Carolina Wren

fills my ears with its

repertoire of joyful song.

Then on the front porch

the air is infused 

with the unforgettable

fragrance of Phlox.

Tall towers of Hollyhocks

stretch for the sun;

their cups of color

flaring like small trumpets.

Heavy humidity creates

brilliant diamonds of dew

clinging to blades of grass

that dazzle in the early sun.

Lovely, lavender Balloon Flowers

burst into five pointed petals

revealing a network

of deep purple veins.

From the field to our east,

the well-known scent

of fresh-cut hay

drying in windrows.

With senses alert,

I am blessed in this place,

absorbing the sensuous

essence of summer.

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve - Fort Myers, Florida

2. 3. 4. & 5. Home Garden - Cannonsburg, Michigan

6. Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

Reading the Future

 

When we hiked up this mountain trail,

and reached this elevation,

we were so much younger.

The long heat of July

blanketed the valley

in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Sarah took this photograph

with my Canon camera

and captured this warm moment.

We were together at the summit,

looking east into the distance,

as if we could read the future.

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Location:

Targhee National Forest - Idaho/Wyoming

Declaration

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. 

Photo Locations:

1. Amway World Headquarters - Ada, Michigan

2. Rockford, Michigan

Red & Green

this red hibiscus

with a bright green katydid

Christmas in July

© 2018 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Home Garden - Cannonsburg, Michigan 

Benevolence

Tubular clusters
of orange Butterflyweed
umbrella summer grasses.

Delicate petals
of wild Rose
beautify country roadsides.

The luxurious
summer solstice
has matured into mid-July.

Benevolent rain clouds
begin to build
promising needed moisture.

Where will
today's journey
take me?

How will I write
about my love of the land,
and all the gifts it holds?

I shall let this poem end
and feel the rain 
softly upon my shoulders. 

© 2018 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Luton Park - Kent County - Michigan

2. Spring Creek Road - Almont, Colorado

3. Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan 

4. Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area - Utah 

5. Rocky Mountain National Park - Colorado

December's Dream

In the morning,
I may go to photograph
the white water lilies
as they display their purity
upon the calm water
of a peaceful pond.

In the afternoon,
I may read some poetry,
or write some poetry
sitting on the deck,
while watching hummingbirds
hovering at the feeders.

In the evening,
I may watch the clouds
diminish with the light
as the ripples on the lake
carry a liquid reflection
for my admiration.

Tonight, 
I may observe
a splinter of moon,
a splatter of stars,
and fireflies pulsing along
the dark edge of the woods.

This warm night in July
is what we dreamed of
last December.

© 2017 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Wabasis Lake - Michigan

2. Home - Cannonsburg, Michigan

3. Pickerel Lake Park - Kent County - Michigan

4. Home - Cannonsburg, Michigan

one hundred thousand

An early sun
climbs into July,
warming the air
among these trees.

One
hundred
thousand
leaf blades
on this towering
Cottonwood
begin to quiver
in the fresh breath
of morning.



Then the breeze
holds its breath.

The petioles pause;
firm in their flatness,
motionless.

Now the wind returns
to repeat the wavering,
to resume
the green flags fluttering.

The curved teeth
along the margins
biting the wind.

One
hundred
thousand
leaves
dancing
to the sound 
of their own 
music.

©  2014 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

Grattan Township, Cascade Township - Kent County,  Michigan  (Michigan) 

Eastern Cottonwood - Populus deltoides

Blackwater Cloth

This warm July morning,
exactly mid-summer,
bright green ovals,
glossy as emeralds,
float on black water,
flat as fabric.

Bluegills and sunfish
pop snails off
the underside.

Dragonflies and damselflies 
snatch gnats
off the surface.

Life                 
        grows on,
                           above,
                                        around,
                                                        within,
                                                                       below.

These glossy
green ovals
floating flat 
as fabric
on the cloth
of black water.

 



© 2013  Richard Havenga

Photo Location:

Pickerel Lake Park,  (Pickerel)  (Fred Meijer Nature Preserve)  Kent County,  Michigan

Click on photo to enlarge.