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
Thousands of Sandhill Cranes call
and fall from the blue New Mexico sky.
With their wings held in stutter-flight,
coasting, braking, decelerating,
the cranes fall to earth, descend
into a great cacophony of sound.
A commotion of feathers
and feet on the ground.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge - New Mexico
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
There is a place inside yourself
where meaningful thoughts are trapped
and are seeking a way to escape.
If you enter this quiet chamber,
you will awaken the mystery of writing,
and find a way to share your words.
Your inner voice no longer hushed,
but confident, creative and true.
Your presence painted on the page.
© 2023 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge - New Mexico
2. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan
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
With honor, and with sincere respect
for their supreme sacrifice;
their lives for our freedom. ~ RH
Photo Location:
As the fog lifts, the landscape
regains its personality,
restores its character.
Your attitude,
your outlook, goes from
contemplative to pragmatic.
The light,
from monochrome
to Kodachrome®.
The time,
from past
to present.
Then the wind increases,
trying to blow
these words away.
© 2021 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. & 3. Sierra Vista, Arizona
2. Grand River - Kent County - Michigan
3. Logan, New Mexico
