by Bela Johnson | Sep 19, 2026 | Uncategorized
I find myself wistfulabout northern New England. If only I could livein the deep cold anymore. If only my heartwould not breakeach time I sawthe desecrationof wild landI remember in my bones. Clear-running streamswith flashing brook trout, even the shiny greenof...
by Bela Johnson | Sep 17, 2026 | Uncategorized
As I sit hereon this ocean’s edge,what arises is thatif my mother were alive,she would still be partof the close weave of my life. I would call her,probably now,once a week. And humming in the currentsrunning through my lifewould always bemy mother. But she diedabout...
by Bela Johnson | Sep 15, 2026 | Uncategorized
Two women in brightly colored shirts ahead of me,one man accompanying them with humor,two pushing groceries to the checker,one bagging,all smiling,but it is clear they are short of cash. He insists on paying.One woman fumbles to intercept,both debit cards flyingonto...
by Bela Johnson | Sep 12, 2026 | Uncategorized
Who are we?Strange birds from another shore,ancestors blown here, over landtended by generations of first settlers,people who knew, better thanwe ever will, how to livewithin conditions foreignto most of our bloodlines. And yet we claim our knowledge superior.We...
by Bela Johnson | Sep 10, 2026 | Uncategorized
Explosive, it arrivedjust after we had gone to bed.Sleep was underway. I sat up, startled into wakefulness.What was that? I said. Groggily, he turned to me,saying, I know what that was. And told me that, years ago,he had been working on a housesituated amidst Norfolk...
by Bela Johnson | Sep 8, 2026 | Uncategorized
Today the ocean is a turquoise jewel,sparkling, crystalline and inviting. Fins and mask in hand,I wade in. The first wave fails to render me breathless,a sure sign that winter has passed for good. The sea never lies. Stroking out into deep water,the bay, once shared...
