Author Archives: janishaag

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 →

(Lawai, Kauai) I come to wade in the protected poolwhere waves crash on rocks just outside it,marveling at all the forms of life— from the ginormous monk seal parkedlike an oceanic zeppelin on the bigger beachdown the road to hundreds … Continue reading →

5ish a.m. We’re both up,listening to the surf below us,while just outside the early birdsbegin yakking above the whooshof waves. This is not our time of day.I have no idea why we’re awake.He says he’s waiting for sunrise,the day’s first … Continue reading →

And, of all the things that makethis day special, people in Hawaiiwrap themselves and each other,along with statues of important ones,in all manner of floral neckwear. We buy lei for loved ones arrivingthis day—simple ti leaf lei forgood luck and … Continue reading →