Author Archives: janishaag

The kids whose house it now ishave no idea how the littlehummingbird got inside. Perhaps it flew in throughopen doors or screenless windowsamid all the renovation transforming our mother’sold place into theirs. Maybeflitting into the hole in the eaves that … Continue reading →

On our first Mother’s Daywithout her, her son-in-lawand her grandson unbucketedtwo volunteer oaks from anotherback yard, planting them in a far cornerof the yard that was hers, wheremy favorite oak once leaned, armsextended, graceful as a dancer, whose woody lap … Continue reading →

Maybe it’s her chair space you’re holding,the one she sat in at the table,or the weary recliner that held herwhen you could not. Her space in the world seems to havevanished, as she seems to havedrifted into the ether, but … Continue reading →

He says upon waking, looking outsideto behold the day’s first light on morning waves, soft clouds losingtheir blush as the sun takes over, revealing a ruler-straight horizonseparating the lightest sky blue from the sea’s definitive marine bluemorphing into near shore … Continue reading →

She’s the Hawaiian rainbow goddess,and when she makes an appearance,we take notice, tipped off by soft drops of rain freckling our faces.Simultaneously, we turn away fromthe sun to watch this messenger of the gods unfurl her full-spectrummessage—blessings of hope and … Continue reading →

(for Donna Just in Lawai, Kauai) Your last day here, mid-afternoon,we go down to the flat lava rocksat low tide, under a hiding andseeking sun. In nearshore waves we look for periscoping headsrising to take a breath, inflatethe huge lungs … Continue reading →

(McBryde National Botanical Tropical Garden, Kauai) I ulu no ka lala I ke kumu.(Without our ancestors, we would not be here.) And so here we arein the great garden where everythingis encouraged to grow. We, too, have grown where we … Continue reading →

(on the path to Makua Beach, Kauai) Of course, others might find them.I cannot be the only one captivated by the appearance of heart-shapedcoral embedded in soft sand. I love happening upon them, andyes, I pocket some. But what I … Continue reading →

(for Donna and Eric and Dick) Three floors up, from the openwindow of our oceanside condo,we four watched a wedding, our bird’s eye view renderingus invisible to those gathering,sitting, waiting for the ceremony to begin. We found ourselvescaptivated by the … Continue reading →

(Hanapepe swinging bridge, Kauai) It vanished, this 1911 bridge,hurricane’d right offits supports in 1992, rebuilt, then smashed bya tree propelled by the storm-swollen river in 2019. But if you stand on ittoday, the only vanishingthing about it is the point … Continue reading →