My pen is poised
over this yellow pad
like a heron's beak
above the river's surface.
Ready to plunge
for a choice word
swimming in the dark water.
Probing the possibilities,
within the pool of poetry.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. North Fort Myers, Florida
2. Rogue River - Rockford, Michigan
The Great Blue Heron
flies with a rhythm of certainty
above the tops of trees.
From the rookery
in the tops of trees,
to the lake's shallow edge.
Steadily rowing the air,
not fast, but purposeful,
knowing where she needs to go.
Knowing what she knows.
© 2025 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. & 2. Great Blue Heron Rookery - Undisclosed Location (for their protection)
3. Eagle Lakes Park - Naples, Florida
4. Rogue River - Rockford, Michigan
May your one singular life become more fruitful
than you ever thought possible.
May you regain the curiosity
you once held as a child.
You may be awakened by exuberant
birdsong in early spring.
You may hear the song of the river
and translate its meaning in your soul.
May you hear Sunday morning church bells
resound across farmers' fall fields.
May you feel the profound silence
of the night sky in winter.
You may find the Spirit inside you,
or reaching out to find you.
May you find more blessings
than you ever thought possible.
© 2023 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Blok Orchard - Kent County - Michigan
2. Home Woods/Wetland - Cannonsburg, Michigan
3. Cannonsburg State Game Area - Kent County - Michigan
4. Arkansas River - Buena Vista, Colorado
5. Inside the Steeple - St. Patrick Church - Parnell, Michigan
6. Luton Park - Rockford, Michigan
The pure whiteness
of the swans' feathers
displays pure elegance.
Like blossoming
clouds of cumulus drifting
on a still water lake.
The s-curved neck,
flexible, arching;
a smooth, supple rope.
Then swimming with nobility,
its royal wings raised like sails
into a vessel of grace.
And after it has
climbed the sky,
behold the white cross
passing through
your present life;
an image of resurrection.
© 2023 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. & 3. McCarthy Lake - Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan
2. Rogue River - Rockford, Michigan
4. Reeds Lake - East Grand Rapids, Michigan
5. Petty's Bayou - Spring Lake, Michigan
Wading in the residue
of this world we now live in,
I try to keep my focus
on the world outdoors.
I much prefer wading in
clear mountain streams
than the digital streaming
on the flooded internet.
Wading the shallows
of lakes and rivers,
Great Blue Herons survive
on patience and persistence.
God, please grant me these traits,
as I watch and witness
with wonder and gratitude
your countless gifts of creation.
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Clark Fork River - Montana
2. Rogue River - Rockford, Michigan
3. Blackfoot River - Missoula, Montana
From my kayak, on calm water,
I watch the gray-blue
feathered sculpture
of a Great Blue Heron.
He stands on stick legs
in the soft shadows
of the smooth shallows,
as still as a dead branch.
Yellow eyes stare with intensity.
S-shaped neck ready to strike.
He leans slowly forward
with imperceptible movement.
But then a change of attitude:
He decides to leave the water;
lifting effortlessly on wide wings,
gaining altitude, legs dangling behind,
rowing through humid summer air.
Seeking new water, a new site,
to resume stealth stalking
on stick legs, with a supple neck,
to stand as still as a sculpture.
I continue to paddle
in the soft shadows
along smooth shallows
gliding through humid summer air.
© 2021 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. & 3. Rogue River ~ Rockford, Michigan
2. Eagle Lakes Park ~ Naples, Florida
The Great Blue Heron statue,
standing still in shallow water,
begins a slow-motion ballet.
A picture of patience,
leaning over its own reflection,
holding a pose of predation.
Cattail leaves swaying gently,
frame the backdrop for
the anticipated attack.
Living spear thrusts.
Calm water splashes.
Heron pierces prey.
© 2021 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
3. & 4. Rogue River - Rockford, Michigan
