Dust and Diesel: Poetry of Perseverance in Rural Hawaiʻi exposes how work across decades-the labor of the hands, the heart, and the soul-is a journey of human resilience amidst turbulent times, navigating truth, deception, and loyalty, as well as diseases of the body, mind, and heart. The collection is a potent exploration of identity, family, and relationships. Macadamia nut fields, Hawaiian hawks, and the slopes of Mauna Loa-imagery and voice transport the reader to confront life's complexities. Beds are everywhere: beds of leaves, bone, salt, and barren ocean; a bedpan, a dump truck bed; a bedroom window and wall. This is poetry that seeks rest for the restless. Dust and Diesel also expands upon Javar's first chapbook, Patsy's Gingerbread Fantasy, also published by Finishing Line Press, offering a deeper, unflinching look into a mother's imperfect life, death, and enduring legacy.