Author Archives: janishaag

The former dead guyresurrected four years agoeats his favorite crabsandwich in Bodega Bay,on his 80th birthday, then drives us up the coaston an afternoon so blusteryit knocks us sidewaysas we maneuver ruggedsteps down to the blacksand of Shell Beach where … Continue reading →

We all want to belongto someone, something,sometime, and the deft eyewink ofthe apostrophe affirmsconnection: the girl’s notebookthe girls’ soccer teamthe boy’s pianothe boys’ campout the art of belonging to oneor more than one. But it’s more than that:A bit of … Continue reading →

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 →