Author Archives: janishaag

(for Richard Rico and my former colleagues) I drove through town today with oldfriends who knew me here when—none of them embodied—their voices and faces as sharp as the Exacto kniveswe used to slice long galleys of typeto make a … Continue reading →

Driving across the dam roadI can see the hill where,months ago as the grass greened and the old oaksleafed into spring, I followedthe path to a particular community of cousins,the quercus lobata thatrooted themselves on this slope long before I … Continue reading →

(for Annelise Cochran and the people of Lahaina) If you are inclined to heed the signs,you might. Wait. Here. You might hunker down, pause,expecting hoping wishing for instructionsabout what to do next. Sometimes they come.Often they do not. If you … Continue reading →

Remembering that we all hold themhelps us find compassion for thosewe imagine are not like us at all, when, of course, we are far moresimilar than different, all beingswanting to be happy, the reminder to release judgments, see the sparkof … Continue reading →

(for Pia Sieroty Spector) Pia brought lemon caketo the writing loft tonight,and even before I set outthe rest of the snacks (because people write betterfed, I always say—not least me) I am ogling the spongytriangles, their backsidescoated with a delicate … Continue reading →

A must-see for tourists,this tree spreading its long arms,aerial roots and leafy canopycanopy over a half-acre, it grew from an 8-foot sproutplanted behind the courthousein 1873 to honor Protestantmissionaries, who landedin this whaling villagea half century earlier. One hundred plus … Continue reading →

And what is more generous than a window? —inscription on Pat Schneider’s headstone,June 1, 1934–Aug. 10, 2020 ••• Along your windowsills you arranged stonespicked up and pocketed on your walks,the odd small cypress pod or a small cobaltfeather a jay … Continue reading →

(in honor of International Cat Day, Aug. 8) I was a cat girl first, long agoin the days when we allowed ourfemale felines to birth littersof kittens that my best friend,my sister and I “trained” to playwith dangled bits of … Continue reading →

Moments in a life sit side by side one another — the infuriating next to the divine, serenity next to fear, joy next to wonder and awe — moment after moment, one story layers over another that is erased or … Continue reading →

The dark horse of the alphabet,it can stand for the Christ in Xmasor indicate the female chromosome. It can mark the spot, this letterderived from the Phoenicians(the letter samekh—“fish”),borrowed by the Greeks (chi),two crossed strokes, whichthe Romans used forthe number … Continue reading →