I had a conversation with Jesus the other day. We talked about tattoos, our shared love of books, and other big “life” topics. 

That same day, I went to the bookstore (my second — or actually third — office) to do some work. When I took a break to peruse the shelves, I headed to my favorite section — the poetry section. A book by Sylvia Plath titled “Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams” caught my eye. I flipped through it and landed on a page that had three words on it that reminded me of that conversation: tattoo, Jesus, and life. 

To be more specific the full sentence with the word “life” in it read, “Wear your heart on your skin in this life.” 

In that moment, it felt like the universe was telling me something — though even now, I’m not exactly sure what. After staring at that page for far too long, I gently placed the book back where I found it, among the many poets I’ve come to love over the years. I headed back to my table to do some more work.

But I felt compelled to buy that book before I left the store — and so I did. Jesus and I had talked about how we both have an abundance of books surrounding us in our homes, and I thought to myself, ‘Here I go, adding another one.’ 

Jesus Rios is a tattoo artist and the owner of Memento Tattoo. He was the first person I spoke to in a long series of interviews for this week’s main story. I also wrote a story about a local actress who lives in two different states who just debuted in a new series called “The Better Sister” on Prime Video. 

Books and film go hand in hand — they both creatively tell stories and offer timelines of our society. You can read novels, watch a television series or a film from a certain era and pick up on the lingo and culture of that time. Tattoos, in a way, do the same thing — or at least that is what I tried to convey in the story I wrote. Read that story and let me know what you think.

The last time I got a tattoo (which was fairly recently) I told the tattoo artist that I only want four more tattoos and then I’m done. With a smirk, he retorted, “That’s what they all say.” 

My last tattoo is of half a guitar, because I want to learn to play the guitar and I refuse to have a full guitar until I learn. In the middle of it is half a heart. I refuse to fill that in until I’m married (which will likely be never). Let’s hope I learn to play the guitar, though — that’s obviously way more important than marriage — and way more fun. 

What about you? Any tattoos? Feel free to share your tattoos (and their stories) by tagging eastbayrilife on Instagram and using #ShowUsYourInkEB in the comments. 

Michelle Mercure is editor of the East Bay Life section. Contact her for story ideas, comments, and suggestions at mmercure@eastbaymediagroup.com.