Author Archives: janishaag

••• (the 18-foot-tall troll of Bainbridge Island) ••• (for Terri Wolf) She’s a storyteller, Pia,sitting in a forest glenon an island wheresomeone I lovedonce lived. My best friend,writer/storyteller,would admire curly-haired Pia sittingserenely amidthe trees, a sweet smile on herface, her … Continue reading →

No matter how far you rome,there’s no place like pome And though I can’t rhyme for spit,I try to find a way to work in: —foam—loam—chrome—Jerome even—Styrofoam And then I can’t stop: —climbing the dome—fingering the comb—meditating with om—writing this … Continue reading →

the date approachesthough it hasn’t announced itselfyet and with every sunrise you thinkyou haven’t done enoughlearned enough loved enoughyou haven’t fully embracedthe complexity the richnesswrapped up in this brevityof a lifetime and you have questionswhether by happenstanceor inspiration that are … Continue reading →

I sit in the hot tub—marinating as healing—eyes lifted skyward watching greatnimbostratus nudgedalong by gusts unseen— who can see the wind?— and along she comesmottled gray as angelssometimes are arms outstretchedumbilically tiedto a trailing cloud tugged alongin her wakeI follow … Continue reading →

It is all very well to survive the abundant months of the spring and summer, but in winter, we witness the full glory of nature’s flourishing in lean times. —Katherine May, from “Wintering” ••• And so I winter, here in … Continue reading →

(for Terri Wolf, fabric artist extraordinaire) Issac Newton never envisioned a color wheellike this: yards of fabric folded into neat squares, lined up horizontally on seven shelves, slendervolumes of possibility nestled together in a full-spectrum rainbow—red, orange, yellow,green, blue, indigo, … Continue reading →

(for Al and Terri Wolf) Al’s bird feeders are diligently attendedby all manner of small-winged neighbors Isee from behind the glass. He has left all fivefull for the wee birds who flit like butterflies,land, peck and flee, making it hard … Continue reading →

(If you are oogied out by mention of bodily fluids, you might want to skip this one! I quite understand…) ••• Naturally, I employ Dr. Google’s expertise: Snot, or nasal mucus, is a helpful bodily product.Your nose and throat are … Continue reading →

So on the third day of Lent I’ve got COVID,it turns out, the day after a day of travelwhen so many strangers came to my aidas I made my way on public transportationin a city not my own. I think … Continue reading →

•••(On the 2:05 p.m. ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island)••• (for Georgann) I don’t remember the names of all the ferrieswe rode across the water from your islandto the mainland. And I don’t think I ever got out of the … Continue reading →