Poetic Obituaries: In "The Wilderness of Vision,"

a 1996 collection of scholarly essays about Mr. [John] Haines's work, the poet Edouard Roditi described him as "not so much a 'nature poet' as a poet of sheer wonder."

In 1973, in his poem "A Winter Light," Mr. Haines wrote:

By candle or firelight
your face still holds
a mystery that once
filled caves with the color
of unforgettable beasts.

from The New York Times: John Haines, a Poet of the Wild, Dies at 86
then Anchorage Daily News: Celebrated Alaska poet Haines dead in Fairbanks at 86

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