Inside My Solitude

 

Within this soft peace,

I seek contentment

inside my solitude.

I step cautiously between

the Jack-in-the-Pulpits

and Trillium's white purity.

I listen attentively

to the Scarlet Tanager

and the Red-eyed Vireo.

The Holy Spirit enlightens me;

brings inspiration 

to my words.

I glorify the Creator,

and express gratitude

for these precious gifts.

© 2025 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. & 4. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

2. & 3. Grand River Basin - Lowell, Michigan

Until

A pink flush spread
into the clouds at dawn,
until the rising sun
transformed them into pewter.

The transparent wind
arrived with stealth,
until it became visible
bending the cattails.

The Wood Warblers
sang their sweet songs,
until the Red-eyed Vireo's
constant calls controlled the  air waves.

 The floor of the forest
was littered with brown,
brittle pine needles,
until the Pink Lady's Slipper
exploded in eye-catching ecstasy.



Photo Locations:

1. Santa Catalina Mountains - Oro Valley, Arizona

2. Muskegon River - Michigan

3. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

4. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan

receptacle

I long for you

to appreciate with me
the spring chorus
of returning songbirds;
to hear their holy notes
of praise
rising from the woods,
entering your soul.

I long to share
insights gathered
from quiet walks
in summer fields
where familiar wildflowers
expand to dispense
their sweet fragrance
for your pleasure.

I long to be
the receptacle
for words
gleaned from leaves
resisting wind and gravity,
displaying flexibility,
while growing imperceptibly,
through time, precious time.

I wish to enter
through the transparent
window of your heart;
to bring samples
of God's creation
into your waiting world
as we await
the blessed hope.

© 2016 Richard Havenga

Photo Info. & Locations:

1. Red-eyed Vireo ~ Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

2. Scarlet Tanager ~ Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park - Rockford, Michigan

3. Purple Coneflower ~ Grand Detour, Illinois

4. Cattail ~ Wabasis Lake Park - Kent County, Michigan

5. Morning sun through fog ~Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan