Francesca Dons Beatrice’s Cloak, by Jessie Epstein

Poetry, chapbook, 36 pages, from Bottlecap Features.

In ancient Greek, there is a special word to describe the feeling between soulmates: homophrosyne. It translates to “like-mindedness.” Homer employs it in The Odyssey to describe Penelope and Odysseus’ relationship – this idea that there is a mutual understanding between some lovers that equates almost to sharing a single mind, regardless of distance or obstacle. That they would know each other anywhere.

In the opening poem of this collection, we are introduced to Francesca, made famous in Dante’s Divine Comedy. In that work, she is condemned to hell for her passion for her lover, Paolo. This work asks: What if that trait was what got a girl into heaven? What if she followed Dante’s same geographical path, but in a landscape where True Love is God, Hell is Separation, and Heaven is Reunion? What would that odyssey look like?

In this story, Francesca and her lover have been separated, and must journey through the underworld on separate but parallel paths. Can she, armed only with her belief in love – her innate sense of homophrosyne – survive the underworld and beyond?

Jessie Epstein is a writer and actor, based out of Los Angeles and the Midwest. You can learn more about her work on her Substack (https://jessieepstein.substack.com) and website (https://www.jessiegepstein.com/). She is rarely bored.