Author Archives: janishaag

He long ago dubbed the daybefore we leave on a tripfor the rushing, the packing,the cleaning, the last-minutenessbefore departure, when, if we’re going to board a plane,the imperative of packing tightlyresults in late-night fussingand too-little sleep. But, when driving, say, … Continue reading →

Been trimming his hair sinceit was dark brown, thick, straight,easy to cut for an amateur like me, though after all these years,I suppose I’m a semi-pro, and myfee has never gone up: a penny or a kiss, as established by … Continue reading →

Saw this bumper sticker on a graycompact heading east on J Streeton a sunny Saturday, my fellow citizensand I wearing our shades, baskingin the warmth like lizards after enduringnine atmospheric rivers washing uscleaner than clean. Flooding, downed trees—so manylost sentinels—had … Continue reading →

I reach for words that float fromtrees, from starstuff, from the heavens,tack them lightly to the page inimperfect order. Somehow they saysomething I need to hear, oftensomething I thought I didn’t know. I am looking for the whole of myself,willing … Continue reading →

There is no time not to love.—Rainer Maria Rilke Compare the jagged white lineagainst the sky to the topof a freshly iced cake, the distantmountains clearing the mindlike winter wind. What you have held tightly,and swore to always hold,this is … Continue reading →

Against the panorama of cloud-free sky,resident geese honk on their afternoon commute, a singular scavenger angel wheeling on the updraft, scanning for a meal.In the distance I think I hear insects chatteringlike so many voices trying to speak at once, … Continue reading →

for Dawn Orosco, kindergarten teacher extraordinaire I don’ wanna.—You have to, Janis. You can’t go to kindergarten without knowing how to tie your shoes. I don’ wanna.—Look, it’s not that hard. See? You just make a little loop.(Fumbling)—Well, more of … Continue reading →

They give you cookie dough as a bonus at pizzaplaces nowadays, chocolate chips and dough lumped into a little plastic tub you take homeand spoon onto cookie sheets you haven’t used in ages, following the instructions on the label(375 degrees, … Continue reading →

Make sure to live each day in such a waythat if you were to fall off a hundred-foot cliffand your life flashed before your eyes,you don’t die of boredombut from the hard landing. —Brother Weepsthesacredbraid.com Well, that’s the thing, isn’t … Continue reading →

I live on Earth at present, and I don’t know what I am.I know that I am not a category. I am not a thing—a noun.I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process—an integral function of the universe. —R. … Continue reading →