A profound stillness
rests on the surface
of the lake.
It's as quiet
as these words
that dissolve slowly
as wispy strands of fog,
like spectral spirits
that rise into the morning,
and disappear
in the atmosphere,
leaving peace
on the water,
and serenity
in my soul.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. & 2. McCarthy Lake - Kent County - Michigan
3. Grand River - Kent County - Michigan
A soft, female rain
falls gently upon his fields.
Inside his masculine body,
a kind, sensitive soul
feels the sublime sense
of simple contentment.
The showers fall.
The earth drinks.
All is well in his heart.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Home Fields - Cannonsburg, Michigan
2. Home Sky - Cannonsburg, Michigan
He loved to walk
along mountain streams;
upstream.
And stop often
to sit on a boulder
and listen to the water rush.
And to watch
the bold current splash
against pure light.
To look upstream
at the future
coming at him.
Or look downstream
at the past
beyond change.
Sometimes he would gather
flat, rounded rocks
to build a cairn.
His mind concentrated
on structural design,
balance and stability.
It all brought real comfort
and genuine contentment
to his mountain soul.
This is where he belonged.
© 2024 Richard Havenga
Photo Location:
Arkansas River - Buena Vista, Colorado
When you take the time
to read my poetry,
I hope you find some
nourishment for your soul.
I've planted the words,
nurtured the lines,
pulled the weeds,
watered and fertilized,
through revisions
you cannot see.
And when the fruit is ripe,
may you taste the sweetness
that I intended during its growth.
And now, could you please share
this nectar of the soul?
© 2023 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. & 2. Kropf Orchards - Kent County - Michigan
When you need help
navigating this life,
from a place of obscurity
to a sense of purpose;
If you are still
wondering how
to make yourself
necessary;
Ask the Holy Spirit within
to stir your heart and soul,
to discover the reasons
for why you are placed here.
Listen to the gentle urging.
Follow whispered instructions.
Then embrace
what you are called to be.
© 2023 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. & 2. Rocky Mountain National Park - Colorado
3. Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming
These ocean waves
keep repeating
the relentless
movement of time.
And as you inhabit
your own physical form,
can you possibly imagine
the eternity of your soul
carried on the breath
of the Holy Spirit
to an incomprehensible realm;
the timeless eternal kingdom?
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Neptune State Scenic Viewpoint - Oregon
2. Sanibel Island - Florida
If you go outside often,
you could be blessed;
enclosed by the golden glow
and vibrant colors
of an October afternoon.
You could find a quiet place
to sit still, with empty hands
and wide open senses,
and allow the peace
of the present landscape
to enter your busy brain
and your hungry heart.
And after you inhale the silence,
and sense the serenity,
you will feel renewed;
knowing what is true,
and eager to carry it with you
inside your satisfied soul.
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. 2. & 3. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan
I cannot explain it to you,
and I do not understand it myself,
but I am assured that the Holy Spirit
resides inscrutably inside my soul.
It's an intimate feeling of contentment;
a promise fulfilled.
When I seek inspiration to write,
the Holy Spirit provides.
When I vow dedication to the work,
confirmation is received.
When I experience difficulty,
comfort is given.
© 2022 Richard Havenga
When an exclusive gift
is presented by a loving God,
it carries a responsibility;
to be cultivated, amplified, and shared
to celebrate His glory,
to praise our God,
from whom all blessings flow.
So, as I seek inspiration
and understanding,
I invite the Holy Spirit
into my work,
and promise to rekindle
the gifts bestowed
upon my soul.
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Butchart Gardens - Victoria, British Columbia
2. Spring Lake, Michigan
3. Coronado Island - California
Age, a slow current
through my body.
Blood, a slow stream
through my vessels.
Hope, a steady flow
through my soul.
Honey Creek, a dark ribbon
weaving through white winter woods.
© 2022 Richard Havenga
Photo Location:
Honey Creek - Seidman Park - Kent County - Michigan
This afternoon's air is stagnant,
and the sky is milky white,
rather indifferent to change.
Yesterday's sky was brilliant blue,
and great cumulus flourished
with distinct definition,
exuberant in their growth.
Yesterday, golden drops of sunlight
penetrated layers of leaves
aging with autumn.
Tomorrow, I will welcome
the forecast of rain.
Although it will strip
more color from the woods,
it will also saturate the soil,
replenish the wetlands,
restore my soul.
© 2021 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Home Sky - Cannonsburg, Michigan
2. Pickerel Lake Park / Fred Meijer Nature Preserve - Kent County - Michigan
5. Home Wetland - Cannonsburg, Michigan
