In memory of Ouzel (James Arnold)
A Haiku by Ouzel (James Arnold)
For over seven years (2001-2008), I organized the monthly
Big Basin Banana Slug Spotters Survey (BS-cubed).
Poet and naturalist Jim "Ouzel" Arnold joined our team
for the November 2007 survey.
He sent me thanks a couple of days later, ending with a commemorative haiku:
Thanks Joan for including me on the Banana count.
It is a wonderful hike to the falls with so much to see.
I enjoyed the other people and Scott's enthusiasm.
Patrick, Barbara and I had good conversation walking out.
It will be fun to go again.
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lunch at Berry Falls -
a troop of twelve slugs slide by
counting the humans
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Copyright
© 2007-2013 The estate of James Arnold.
Printed by permission.
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But Jim was not able to join us on future hikes.
Sadly he died the day after sending this message, and so soon after we had walked together.
A Haiku for Ouzel (James Arnold)
by J. Zimmerman
At the 2008 Asilomar Haiku Retreat (Pausing for Peace),
we gathered one late afternoon to celebrate our fallen comrade,
haiku
poet and naturalist Jim "Ouzel" Arnold, who died last year.
We made an altar of stones and shells he had given us.
Then we took turns reading his haiku
from his A Very Slim Book
[designed by artist and poet Susanne Smith]
and then we read our own poems in memory of him:
[Thanks for visiting.]
Haibun.
