Tideline

 

The tideline of the Pacific,

hissing upon the shore;

glistens briefly 

with reflected light,

then settles into

the saturated sand.

Repeating

the mundane miracle,

again, and

again.

© 2022 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Point Reyes National Seashore - California

2. LaJolla - California

3. Manhattan Beach - Oregon

I Whisper

I am paying close attention
to the living reality
surrounding me outdoors.

I am focused intently,
drawn into the science,
pulled into the mystery;

I am amazed by the intricacies of nature,
fascinated by the complex details,
astounded by how it all works.

For each miracle I witness,
for each poem I write,
for each photograph I capture,

I whisper 
into the air:
"Thank you God!"

After the gathering
of memories, words, and images,
it is always the gratitude that remains.

© 2015 Richard Havenga

Garments

These living green garments
clothe the earth
with a legacy of leaves.
Their shapes and sizes
bring surprises to attentive eyes
from a seemingly endless
collection of creativity.

Why such extravagance?
What form will the next miracle take?
Where is the next discovery to be found
when looking around your surroundings?

As science keeps explaining,
I see more mysteries
remaining.

More than I will ever need
within a lifetime of looking.

© 2015 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Manatee Park - Fort Myers, Florida

2. Pickerel Lake Park - Kent County, Michigan

3. Wabasis Lake Park - Kent County, Michigan

4. Fallasburg Park - Kent County, Michigan

5. Townsend Park - Kent County, Michigan


Plant Identification:

1. Live Oak, fern & Spanish Moss 

2. Pond Lily

3. Cattail - 

4. Cow Parsnip - 

5. Jack-in-the-Pulpit - 

Stone Chalice: Sound Within Silence

While the desert below
exhales the evening,
up here on the granite ridge
twilight is held briefly
upon the surface 
of golden pools.

I accept the invitation to sit,
to watch, to listen, 
and absorb.

These bones of granite
cup this fluid 
of the earth.
Tinájas. Water pockets.
Small chambers of
liquid stillness,
waiting to play
Sonoran music in these
Santa Catalina Mountains.

Boulders squeeze
these pools into tiny, 
dripping sounds,
like the smallest
of hand bells; 
played by the very hands
of creation.

Now, years later,
as in trying
to recall a dream,
it is difficult to 
remember this 
sound within silence,
this stone chalice,
while waiting 
for another miracle.

© 2015 Richard Havenga

Photo Location:

Santa Catalina Mountains, (Coronado National Forest)  Tucson,  Arizona