It usually takes
only a few good words
to get a poem started.
Maybe an old photograph
from the archives of time;
black and white memories.
Photos I can pinpoint
on the map of my mind,
the irreplaceable ones.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Location: Harlem, Montana
There are seventy-five years
of distance between me,
and the black and white photograph
of a little boy on a rope swing.
My father, Richard,
made this rope swing;
tied to a high tree branch,
sturdy and strong like he was.
My mother, Lillian,
who took the photo in 1951,
said I was a shy and quiet little boy.
I would like to get
inside his head.
I would like
to give him a push.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Location: Ada Township - Kent County - Michigan
Along these parallel lines
of hieroglyphics
that curve around
the aspen trunk,
a pair of eyes
calling you close.
Happy to see you stop
and study
the lines of letters;
searching for
possible words
in this volume of trees.
© 2025 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
West Elk Wilderness - Colorado
Each day presents a different design.
Distinctive dimensions on the sky stage.
Clouds dance to the silent music
transmitted through the atmosphere.
A sequence of subtle movements;
a fluid, flowing performance.
Each hour a unique composition
within the choreography of clouds.
© 2025 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Mitchell, South Dakota
2. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
3. North Fort Myers, Florida
Occasionally, in my travels,
I become a tourist of the past.
Returning to the locations
of old black and white photographs.
Here's a little boy on a swing,
swinging in his yard from a tree.
He seems to like being outdoors.
They used to call him Dickie Lee.
© 2023 Richard L. Havenga
Photo Credit: Lillian Havenga © 1951 (me age 3)
in memory of Aaron Havenga (April 2, 1975 ~ November 20, 1994)
The long pain of grief
cannot be ignored,
but after twenty-nine years,
it can be absorbed;
endured by a gracious heart
and a long life of gratitude
for continued blessings
down this long road
I did not choose.
I no longer wander around
like a lost child, but
walk forward firmly in faith,
powered by a brave heart.
© 2023 Richard Havenga
Photo Location:
Centennial, Wyoming
The black mirror of this pond
appears even darker when
surrounded by winter's first snow.
A Belted Kingfisher drops
from a Black Willow branch;
plunges into ice-cold water,
shatters black reflections
of overhanging trees;
comes up empty.
Rattles away to a new site.
Reflections return.
Winter tightens its grip.
Wants to make white ice.
© 2021 Richard Havenga
Photo Location: Cannon Township - Kent County - Michigan
With honor, and with sincere respect
for their supreme sacrifice;
their lives for our freedom. ~ RH
Photo Location:
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| For all those who sacrificed their life, so that we may live ours with freedom. |
