Long Hours

 for Aaron Havenga  (April 2, 1975 ~ November 20, 1994)

The first light to pierce the dawn

reminds me of your radiant smile.

I miss your warm presence

during the long hours of daylight.

Until the long hours of night,

when sleep becomes my friend.

Inside the vague territory of dreams

when the missing you is missing.

© 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations: Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming

My Friend the Moon

 

The moon is like a living thing.

I give it much more attention

than the average human being.

It travels across the night sky,

and sometimes lingers in the daylight.

Appearing and disappearing.

Growing and shrinking.

Waxing and waning.

I anticipate her fullness,

rising after the sun has set.

I eagerly seek 

her first new crescent;

a sliver of silver,

and miss her when she's hidden

behind the overcast.

I photograph her in all her moods,

and write poems about her.

My friend the moon.

Worthy of reflection.

© 2025 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Home Sky - Kent County -  Michigan

2. North Fort Myers, Florida

3. SaddleBrooke, Arizona

4. Crooked Lake - Kent County - Michigan

5. Vero Beach, Florida

6. Home Sky - Kent County - Michigan

7. Bozeman, Montana 

During Daylight

Driving through the dark,
passing through these prairies,
I try to perceive the vastness;
imagine what I'm missing
beyond this tunnel of headlights.

During the daylight,
paralleling the Platte River
through Nebraska,
broad, bold cottonwoods
tower above the flat land.

During the daylight,
Meadowlarks 
perch on posts;
cast their liquid songs
into the dome of sky.

During the daylight,
crops of corn
germinate, generate
work and income
for men in tractors.

During the daylight,
rusted blades of
deserted windmills
are fixed in position,
stranded in time.

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Hershey, Nebraska

2. Hesperus, Colorado

3. Harmon, Illinois

4.  Hugoton, Kansas