“Tattoos”
Pithy definition symbolized in skin ink.
Striations and shades.
Hues of you.
Needled with pain.
Remembrance or regret?
Sleeves, cankles, tramp-stamps.
Art or archive?
I was first defined by my parents.
Then defined by society.
Then defined by my children.
Then defined by me.
Does a record of it exist, outside of DNA?
How then do we go about being remembered?
Ink fades over time, and so do we.
How then?
A very special thanks to JS, for leaving a lasting impression.
40/40: Summer Poem Slam-a-bam is a project in which people have joined me for 40 days and 40 nights of on-demand poetry. They have submitted the concepts, ideas, and subjects; I’ve done the work.
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