by Bela Johnson | Jun 13, 2026 | Uncategorized
When you’re a country girl,you’re a country girl—even if you were raisedin the San Gabriel foothill communityof Hastings Ranch. I grew up barefoot,or in slippers we called beachwalks.They were rubber—real rubber—because we scrubbed them cleanwith an old...
by Bela Johnson | Jun 11, 2026 | Uncategorized
I tried to be her,I really did. If only I could drink, dance,be merrier than I was.If only I could stop parsingthe fine edges of life,the sharp lava cliffsbeneath the oceanic surface, I might be more One of You.Less of Me. I tried.It does not work. Some days I look in...
by Bela Johnson | Jun 9, 2026 | Uncategorized
Just this morning,I tossed the dish towelinto the laundry.The one we use to wipe our hands,hung on the oven door,easy to graband, apparently,easy to forget about.All morning long,I have reached for that towel.At least a half dozen times.And each time,my hand finds...
by Bela Johnson | Jun 6, 2026 | Uncategorized
In the presence of our kupuna,a supernatural meetingis not out of the question. Every day I check social media,there is another accident.Another fatality.Sometimes several. Someone crossed the center line.Someone was texting.Someone had a few too many. Someone was in...
by Bela Johnson | Jun 4, 2026 | Uncategorized
The tide turns.The wind rises.The channel deepens. A man in a fancy boatsails out. GPS told him it was fine.The Alenuihaha channel,known as one of the most dangerousin the world,comes alive. For some, knowledge is arbitrary.They mistake indifference for...
