“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.