Words of Promise

 

I'm back here again

in my window chair,

trying to grow my morning poems;

some words of promise

on sunlight yellow paper.

Always praying for

a shower of inspiration,

just a sprinkle of imagination,

an aspiring germination

to grow into creation.

With roots probing

into the fertile soil,

absorbing nourishment,

seeking a firm foundation

in the beloved earth.

© 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Home Library - Cannonsburg, Michigan

Burst the Buds

Next spring's mystery
is now held tightly
within the buds
of winter trees.

Through persistent cold
and months of snow,
waiting for the sap
to rise from the roots;

climb the xylem chambers,
reach along the branches,
tunnel into the twigs,
and burst the buds .

© 2017 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Home Woods ~ Cannonsburg, Michigan

American Beech - Fagus grandifolia

Winter Trees

dormant, docile,
resting above ground,
waiting out the cold light,
packaged with clusters
of tough, winter buds.

patient, accustomed
to their latitude,
persevering, resisting,
moved by the wind
in their heights.              

with a firm grip
in the earth,
roots probe the soil,
deeply, broadly,
alive underground.  

©  2013  Richard Havenga

     

Photo Location:

Parnell,  Kent County,  Michigan