To branch

To reach, to grow, to break. To be alone. But also to belong, to hold, to partake. To be strong.

The houses in the hill

Villas in Sivota Bay at night. Photo by Jessica Zarins, August 2021 The villas in the mountains, so beautifully located. An L shape has been cut straight into the hill, and is filled by three homes in sleek shapes, whitewashed walls, locally sourced stones and greenery growing on the roofs. It keeps the heat out,...

The virginal

Sivota Bay, Lefkas. Tuesday 24 August 2021, afternoon Spending time with my parents for the first time in nine months is comfortable, safe and relaxing in a childlike way. My mother pays for lunch, my father pays for dinner. When there are sounds outside the boat at night, my father goes up to check. When...

Sivota Bay, Monday morning

The swallows, the flowers, the morning light. Cigarette smoke, petrol fumes, coffee vapour and spray-on sun lotion. Dutch, Italian, French, Serbian, English, German, Swedish and of course Greek. Here as in every village, the widows still wear their habits of mourning, despite some of them not being much older than my suntan-wearing parents. Cat on...

Sivota Bay, Lefkas

Sunday 22 August 2021. Evening The scents from the mountains and the forest caress their way down to the boat. Olive trees, oregano, pale ivy, cypress, grapevines, wild onions, and pine. And sea. And dry clay. The moon is full, completely orange and rises in the eastern entrance to the bay. My cycle matches that...

Tranquil Bay, Nidri, Lefkas

Sunday 22 August 2021, morning The sun is still hidden behind the mountains in this lake-like bay. Slowly it makes its way higher, colouring the Mediterranean pines peach. A rooster heralds its approach, confirming to last night’s party-goers and today’s day-afterers which time of day it is. The distant church bells confirms which day of...

Poopy phone: prose

Because of some heart palpitations, caused by stress and anxiety, I'm not drinking at the moment. So I can't even blame it on a good night, dropping my phone in the toilet. It was in my back pocket after watching Ocean's Eleven, tidying up the living room and the kitchen, and when brushing my teeth....

Poopy phone

I dropped my phone into the loo. Beyond repair, all was lost. Three years of photos, texts and memories; the current latest message, pic and tune sent from an ex in anger on what I guess was one bad day. Not even drunk, since I'm not drinking because of issues with my heart, from stress...

News: Branches root in Epoch Press

"Some of the seeds in the bottom of the birdfeeder have sprouted, and little grasses have grown inside the plastic tube-shaped dispenser. How is that even possible without any soil? I look closer and see that the mouldy sludge at the bottom of the tube has formed some kind of nutrient base, enough for the...

Therapy

Hello Doctor. Hello Jessica. What seems to be the problem? I feel an existential dread and anxiety over life itself, while also fearing death; my own, my loved ones, the natural world's. I'm trapped in an abyss-like darkness of my own thinking and the inevitable decline and death of the planet and human society. Petrified...

Hebrides-bound on freedom day

Bought whiskey and shortbread in Inverness yesterday as snacks for the rest of the week. Travelled most of the length of the UK, but have at least as many hours of travelling today. Red line (Cambridge-Gatwick-Inverness) was my journey yesterday. Blue line (Inverness-Ullapool-Stornoway) is my journey today. Today really is freedom day. I’ll arrive in...