Benevolence

Tubular clusters
of orange Butterflyweed
umbrella summer grasses.

Delicate petals
of wild Rose
beautify country roadsides.

The luxurious
summer solstice
has matured into mid-July.

Benevolent rain clouds
begin to build
promising needed moisture.

Where will
today's journey
take me?

How will I write
about my love of the land,
and all the gifts it holds?

I shall let this poem end
and feel the rain 
softly upon my shoulders. 

© 2018 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Luton Park - Kent County - Michigan

2. Spring Creek Road - Almont, Colorado

3. Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan 

4. Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area - Utah 

5. Rocky Mountain National Park - Colorado

Fragments of Poetry 11

"The Wild Rose"  by Wendell Berry

Sometimes hidden from me
in daily custom and trust,
so that I live by you unaware
as by the beating of my heart,

suddenly you flare in my sight,
a wild rose blooming at the edge
of thicket, grace and light
where yesterday was only shade,

and once more I am blessed, choosing
again what I chose before.

This post is dedicated to my loving wife, Mary.

The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry  ©  1998


Photo Location:

Kent County,  Michigan

Wild Rose/Swamp Rose - Rosa palustris