My Future Tattoos

Plus a Conversation with 'Life'

Photo by Fabio Tura on Unsplash

Introduction

I’m more than halfway through my allotted revolutions around the sun, according to the latest life expectancy data. Naturally, I’ve been wondering; what is it like to have a tattoo? My curiosity grows with each passing year. Right now, I have none; my body is high on scars and low on ink. Our abrasions tell stories. Stories with histories that can only be passed down orally, we’re life’s pictographs. Yet, sometimes we want to add stories of our own so a lot of us turn to ink. 

For me, tattoos would be a way for me to tell stories life didn’t capture, and may never capture. But what kind of lessons would I like to wear on my skin? Well, if I made a list right now, here’s what a tattoo would have to be for me:

• Functional - meaning when I look at it, it reminds me or challenges me. 

• Aesthetic - I need to enjoy how it looks and it needs to ‘fit’.

• Expressive - It shares something about me that isn’t evident at first sight.

Do you have tattoo guidelines, what are they?

My Poem’s Origin Story

I tried a new poem style this week. I borrowed the parameters from a style of poem called Villanelle; a poem with two separate rhyming refrains weaved throughout the poem. Also, it has 19 lines, 5 stanzas of 3 lines, and 1 stanza of 4 lines. It isn’t a traditional Villanelle because I chose not to adhere to some constraints.

My first impression, this style was hard for me to write. It really made me appreciate how much forethought should go into a poem. I made things really difficult by selecting ‘tattooist’ and ‘fluid’ as my anchor words. Those are not easy words to rhyme with, by line 12 I was really struggling to rhyme and keep a somewhat coherent story.

You’ll find the pattern in every other line in the first 5 stanzas with a slight change in the 6th stanza. It was a struggle, but a good one!

A Villanelle doesn’t have any metrical pattern constraints, as far as I could find, though I wish it did! I couldn’t find the rhythm in this piece, just when I thought I had it, a line would have a completely different cadence, which I liked, and this disruption would cause a lot of reworking of the previous lines.

If you read it aloud, you may find the rhythm, but you may not. If you do find a rhythm, then it’s probably a rhythm all your own.

The poem is an imaginary conversation between myself and ‘Life’ personified. The topic of discussion is whether or not I should get a tattoo and ruin Life’s ‘masterpiece’. In the end I receive tacit approval with a heaping dose of skepticism. Life is saying, ‘you’ll probably mess this up.’

Poem: Conversation between a master and a novice

Life’s response is in italics

Hey Life, you know, you’re the greatest tattooist
Nature is your pen, my experiences are the fluid
Your scars cut deep, because they are the truest 

Sincerest - reflection of my pain - old to newest
If I dabbled in some ink, would you feel that I intruded?
Would it hurt your feelings - color your mood the bluest?

Well, it’s okay - if your changes are the fewest
Violate this deal and my pride it might be wounded
I’ve seen ‘art’ before - reflections of the cheapest 

Still, I’m not worried, my talents remain the deepest
My work and I remain uncontested - undisputed
It takes me mere minutes - my tattoos are the sleekest

Well Life, between us, I’m certainly the weakest
But I promise you, your canvas, will not be polluted
Consider this an homage, my work will be the neatest 

When you see it just imagine it’s the sweetest
Fine,I’ll try, I said I’d do it but I’m feeling a bit uprooted
I’ll do you proud I’ll create like I’m a tempest
Please excuse my doubts, I’m an elitist, feeling a bit defeatist. 

My Future Tattoos as of Today

These aren’t in any particular order 

Tattoo: мне всё равно 

• Language: Russian

• Literal Translation: ‘I don’t care’

• How I interpret this phrase: ‘It doesn’t touch me, because most things don’t matter’

• Personal morale: There can’t be a lot of important things

Tattoo: HÓZHÓ

• Language: Navajo

• Literal Translation: I don’t know

• How I interpret this phrase: ‘Balance and Beauty’, it’s usually translated this way; sort of like the best English explanation

• Personal morale: I feel best when I’m in balance, it’s a beautiful feeling

Tattoo: Impermanence 

• Language: English

• Literal translation: The state or fact of lasting for a limited period of time

• How I interpret this word: Everything comes, everything goes

• Personal morale: The worst moments and the best moments end

Tattoo: Ta vie est ma raison de vivre

• Language: French

• Literal translation: Your life is my reason to live

• How I interpret this word: A reminder, we were put here to take of each other

• Personal morale: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control

Tattoo: 一期一会

• Language: Japanese

• Literal translation Once-in-a-lifetime chance

• How I interpret this word: This relates to impermanence, but really it’s about taking the time to soak up experiences before they disappear forever. 

• Personal morale: You ever think that the last time you saw someone, may be the last time you see them. Don’t waste the moments. 

What’s on your future tattoo list, as of today?