Ear Buds

 

I never have,

nor will I ever start,

to use headphones,

ear buds, etcetera,

when I'm running outdoors.

I prefer to hear

the music of nature

along quiet country roads.

Songs from the Indigo Bunting,

Scarlet Tanager, Yellow Warbler,

or a distant Eastern Meadowlark.

A fall flock of Canada Geese.

An ambitious wind in the trees.

The rising rapids in rivers. 

Rigorous waves on Lake Michigan.

All sounds superior,

to my favorite symphonies

by Haydn or Beethoven.

© 2025 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Indigo Bunting - Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

2. Scarlet Tanager - Home Woods - Kent County - Michigan

3. Yellow Warbler - Home Woods - Kent County - Michigan

4. Canada Geese - Saul Lake Bog - Kent County - Michigan

5. Grand Haven State Park - Michigan

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

Elegant Gown

 

Through the dense green foliage

of my Red Oak woods,

at first I cannot spot

the Scarlet Tanager

as he unravels his song,

then my eyes are carried 

up into the canopy

of glossy leaves

where he sings his song

of short phrases

alternating high and low.

A performance that will last

through the dense green summer,

when I'll be privileged to get

a few, brief glimpses of

his elegant gown;

splendid elements

of black and scarlet red.

© 2025 Richard Havenga

Scarlet Tanager Song: 

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Scarlet_Tanager/sounds

Photo Locations: Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

Watercolor Dreams

 

After a full day of spring Birding,

of looking through binoculars,

and reading field guides,

birds fly through the

watercolor of my dreams.

I awake the next morning,

eager with anticipation,

to see the next new migrants,

perhaps a "life-lister" species.

Mid-May in Michigan.

© 2021 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Scarlet Tanager ~ Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

2. Northern Oriole ~ Home Garden - Cannonsburg, Michigan

3. Prothonotary Warbler ~ Allegan State Game Area - Allegn, 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

Intentions

Another spring arrives
with endless opportunities
to watch the speed of life
accelerate,

to witness again
the miracles occurring,

intentionally taking time
to capture a few of the gifts
going by,

to wrap them up
in this poem
and give them
to you,

with the intended grace
by which they were received.

New birds returning,
wildflowers rising,

and children;
their faces
growing with promise.

© 2015 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Bloodroot - Grattan Township - Kent County, Michigan

2. Round-leaved Hepatica - Townsend Park - Kent County, Michigan

3. Scarlet Tanager - White Pine Trail - Rockford, Michigan

4. & 5. Mayapple - Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

6. Tulip Time Festival - Holland, Michigan