Yellow braids
of Weeping Willow.
Supple and flexible,
collect soft spring light.
A welcome sight
after a rigid winter.
Tender twigs,
slim and slender.
A sensuous dance
with warm April air.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. 2. & 3. Plainfield Township - Kent County - Michigan
4. Thornapple River - Ada Dam, Ada, Michigan
Weeping Willows may be
in love with the invisible
winds of spring.
Watch them dancing together.
Waltzing, flowing, undulating.
A captivating choreography.
Braided yellow hair.
Swinging in the air.
Visibly graceful.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Thornapple River - Ada, Michigan
2. Plainfield Township - Kent County - Michigan
In late November,
when all the leaves have fallen,
the Weeping Willow
retains possession
of its golden collection;
narrow, tapered fingers
pointing at their future
among the others
on the cold, hard ground.
© 2025 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations: McCarthy Lake - Kent County - Michigan
Have you listened, lately,
to the sound of the wind singing?
It could be calling your name.
Perhaps in the long and slender
braids of the Weeping Willow,
undulating like the arms
of a ballerina.
Or in the high canopy
of a tall oak forest,
the crowns being pushed;
swaying yet resilient.
For me, I hear the secret
whispering through thousands
of fine green needles
while standing by the White Pine.
Have you listened, lately,
to the sound of the wind singing?
It is calling your name.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Thornapple River - Ada, Michigan
2. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan
3. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan
A fresh morning breeze strokes
the slender fingers of willows.
They undulate vertically
above the small pond.
They return old memories
of my twelve-year-old self,
when I expertly climbed
their thick, spreading limbs;
seeking refuge and solitude
in a secret, higher place
to think about important matters:
like the death of my grandpa,
and how high above the blue sky
heaven might be,
and if he can hear me
from up here.
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Cascade, Michigan
2. Thornapple River - Ada Dam - Kent County - Michigan
3. Blythefield Memory Gardens - Kent County - Michigan
 |
| Yellow Fawn Lilies |
 |
| Gray Tree Frog |
