Talking to My Shadow

 

Streaming through windows

etched with the lace of frost,

I'm wrapped in a veil

of pale winter moonlight.

My shadow on the floor

moves across white carpet

faithfully following me,

but wondering why we

are up in the morning at three.

"I couldn't sleep," I say

to my shadow, 

"when moonlight on snow

is as bright as day."

I think of Cat Stevens' lyrics:

" I'm being followed by a moon shadow,

moon shadow, moon shadow."

Then I return my view

to the bright moonlight

and begin to contemplate

a possible poem I could write.

© 2023 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. & 2. Home Skies

3. Home Woods (at night) - Cannonsburg, Michigan

Deep Silence

Under the depth
of the night sky,
deep silence
pressed upon us.

Not a word
was spoken.

Only soft breaths
of contentment
were dispersed
into the darkness.

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Big Crooked Lake - Kent County - Michigan

2. Catalina, Arizona

White Pine at Night

Tonight,
fine needles
in the top of the White Pine
spin moonlight
into concentric circles
of silver threads.

Look.
It's true.

Tonight,
a light breeze
in the fine needles
of the White Pine
whispers words
sent from God.

Listen.
It could be true.

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

Writing the Night

The moon emerges
from the clouds,
writing silver symbols
on the calm water.

A fish jumps;
splashing the message
into concentric rings.

Ripples of God's grace
shining on the lake,
radiating outward,
drawing nearer. 

Circles inscribed
with the tranquility
of moonlight.

Circles of words
writing the night.

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Home - Cannonsburg, Michigan

2. Crooked Lake - Kent County - Michigan

gibbous

In the middle of the night,
a rectangle of moonlight
paints the floor near our bed.

I rise, 
walk to the window,
and greet the gibbous moon;

thinking:
a small poem 
may be growing here.

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Location:

Home - Cannonsburg, Michigan

Reaching for the Moon

An ornamental moon
emerges yellow from the lake;
grows white 
as it climbs the trees.

I stand alone
on the shore
as dusk wraps around 
my shoulders.

A band of rippled moonlight
captures my gaze,
embraces my emotions,
touches my soul.

I reach out
to contact the creator.

© 2018 Richard Havenga

You may also enjoy: "Moon's Desire" ~ August 6, 2018

Photo Location: Crooked Lake - Kent County - Michigan

Moon's Desire

A veil of moonlight
drifts bone white
upon sheets of fog
covering moist fields.

It dances golden 
upon the lake,
multiplying the moon's desire
to move, to be noticed. 

I am captivated by
the wavy undulations
of her curves, moving slowly
under shimmering silk.

© 2018 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Murray Lake - Kent County, Michigan 

Carrying

As the shadows grew longer,
the wind released its grip
and the silence grew wider.

That evening the watery moonlight
danced enticingly upon the ocean,
carrying her to a new horizon.

After years of offering 
everything she had,
she realized she was
much more than his echo.

Now, carrying the parts of herself
she knows will grow and flourish,
she sails in her imagination
to a new and brighter place
where her dreams 
may begin to shine. 

© 2018 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Anna Maria Island, Florida  

January Fields

silent as moonlight

in a January field

fox tracks in the snow

© 2018 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Grattan Township - Kent County, Michigan