Author Archives: janishaag

2 miles around the parkthat was an oak-studded tanglewhen I was a kid—now tiny mammals swarmthese playing fields on weekendswith all manner of balls and bats,cleats and grownups withwhistles who try to keep order— and I quick-walk 5 laps aroundthe … Continue reading →

Big fan, really, from the momentI first walked across your inkybrittle ground crinkling like glassunderfoot, and look at you go, girl— meaning no disrespect, MadamePele, just enthusiastic yah-hooingan ocean away from your fountainingfissures on Mauna Loa this weekthat some might … Continue reading →

We are not used to getting our feet wetwhen we step outside. We recoil at dampmail pulled out of the box, shake ourannoyed heads when the cat pops inthrough the flap in the back door,fur glistening, paws imprinting the floorlike … Continue reading →

for GAT They arrived on the doorstep today,and I thank you aloud—becausewho other than Santa, maybe,would think to send me a pairof what became my favorite slippers practically the moment you insistedI try on what became my first cozy pairat … Continue reading →

Striding into a thankfully cloudy day,your pupils perform a fine imitationof Hershey’s Kisses after the optometristdilates your aging eyes, which are in(hallelujah) not-bad shape, the twoof you agree. But outside, your aperture wide open,you perceive a tack-sharp focal planea hair’s-breadth … Continue reading →

on the first day of the last month,we find ourselves walking ona carpet of golds—some burnished with smudges of cinnamon—but mostlyginkgo leaves the color of new lemons,a startling contrast to the wet road. We are drawn to put our feet … Continue reading →

for Jeannine In an oak grove where we used to campas Girl Scouts, several decades later a youngBoy Scout outlined a labyrinth behindthe church where we’d attend Girl ScoutSundays and my sister eventually married, and all that came rushing back … Continue reading →

Oh, there should be a waltz playingbehind this slow reveal—the Blue Danube or a delicate Chopin piano tune—asthe moonshadow lowers at an oblique angle, exposing the tiny blue dot seeminglyalone in the inkiness of space: our home planet beamed back … Continue reading →

(the origin of a word and the historical development of its meaning) Though I don’t play, I loveto peruse lists of new Scrabble wordsthat have entered the game:hangryonesiesporkhorchataskeezy which make me smile, but then the mind twists overgrawlixwhich I should … Continue reading →

in memory of Charles Schulz on his 100th birthday Never thought I’d meet and interview him,let alone have a hot dog with him in theWarm Puppy Café, but as long as I live, I’ll cherish the rideon the back of … Continue reading →