Emily Vieweg on the Tattooed Poets Project

Today's tattooed poet is Emily Vieweg, who is very generously sharing all of her tattoos:

Emily elaborates:

"My first tattoo was my lower back, designed by an online acquaintance. A broken heart, sewn together with the initials of my two angel babies. Unexpected pregnancies that ended in miscarriage in my 20s ... My left shoulder blade is a dedication to my son. My right shoulder blade is an angel on my shoulder. The center kanji symbols says Dragon-Woman-Mother-Love."

 The back tattoos were inked at Fine Line Tattoo in Topeka, Kansas.

Emily notes "my right wrist reminds me that no matter what job I have and no matter where I am in life, that I am a writer." This was done at 46 & 2 Tattoo in Fargo, North Dakota.

She adds, "my pink breast cancer awareness ribbon [is] for my mother who is now 8 years breast cancer-free."

Emily notes "Sunflowers are my sister's favorite flower. She is on my ankle because she is my stability. Tulips are my favorite flower." The tulips were done at 46 & 2, and the sunflower was inked at Addictions Tattoo in Fargo.

Emily sent us the following poem, which was originally published in Void Magazine in 2006, and then republished on www.writingraw.com in 2015.

Not Another Empty Table 

A trip home brings me closer
to friends, in theory. I grab
dinner at a bar, gasping a
short breath and sip my ice water,

place my napkin gently on my lap.
I don’t want another year of
tables with service for one.
My quesadillas, no onions, appear

with a salad on the side – I love bar food –
A bottle of Korbel washes it down
as the seconds tick tock and tease.
I want a table full of party sandwiches

a ketchup-stained summer tablecloth
with those clip-art fish and beach toys
painted on top. I want
a full dance card

an address book overflowing
so every time I open my bag
I am loved.

~ ~ ~

Emily Vieweg is a poet and playwright originally from St. Louis, Missouri. Her work has been published in Foliate Oak, The Voices Project, Northern Eclecta, Red Weather Literary Magazine, Soundings Review and more. Her chapbook, "Look Where She Points" is forthcoming from Plan B Press. She lives in Fargo, North Dakota where she is a mother of two, pet parent, data processor, educator and human rights advocate.

Thanks to Emily for sharing her tattoos and poem with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2016 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoos are reprinted with the poet's permission.

If you are reading this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Heidi Czerwiec

Heidi Czerwiec is our next tattooed poet, and you only need look at the cover of her book to see her cool ink:

Heidi explains:

"It’s the cover of Self-Portrait as Bettie Page, which I think is a cool tie-in between poetry and tattoos ... The tattoo of Bettie Page came about as a way to solve a copyright issue. The editor publishing Self-Portrait as Bettie Page, Anna Evans, felt we needed an image of Page for the cover, but the cost was prohibitive. I often get a tattoo to commemorate each poetry project I finish, and had been considering a Bettie Page tattoo already, so I suggested it as a solution since new medium equals new (uncopyrighted) image, and also because it would be a vivid way to convey the title. And because I wanted the tattoo and it seemed pretty badass. I went with a graphic b&w image of a famous photo, found a terrific artist – Paul Johnson, owner of 46 and 2 Tattoo in Fargo, ND – who was interested in the project, and got my amazing photographer friend – Britta Trygstad – to shoot the tattoo during and after. This is the image we chose. I’m not sure I came out much ahead of the cost to acquire copyright, but the process was so much fun and I have a badass tattoo at the end of it."

Heidi selected two poems to accompany her submission, both from the book. Since they're both fairly short, I've included both below. Heidi adds, "both were ... published in Self-Portrait as Bettie Page (Barefoot Muse Press, 2013), but “Autobioerotic” first appeared in South Dakota Review (Winter 2011/2012)."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I know what you’re probably thinking. Yes,
I had my goth and rockabilly phase:
the black hair and attitude, the glaze
of red lipstick, silk knickers beneath my dress
for lindy-hopping – the whole enchilada.
I even imitated Bettie one year
for Halloween, in full jungle attire –
a favorite photo. I knew nothing, nada,
about her. But the more I learned, I liked.
Not for what you’d think, not the trappings –
no – I’m interested in paradox:
the more severe she looked, the more she winked.
I want to do that, make art in racy wrappings,
fit pretty content in a strict box.

AUTOBIOEROTIC

You started innocently: first, a pair
of words that rhyme, a sweet pentameter
that left you wanting more. And so you wrote,
for fun. And it was good. Someone took note
(young girl, new style) but thought you needed edge;
put you onto sonnets, with just a smidge
of sapphics – titillating, but still, quite tame.
You got a kick out of it. It was a game.
But then you got a penchant for harder stuff:
ballades, rondeaux – those French ticklers not enough
for you – you published hard-core villanelles
for magazines with certain clienteles.
You’re verse’s vixen. Where do you go from here?
You keep composing; or, you disappear.

~ ~ ~

Heidi Czerwiec is associate professor of Literature and Creative Writing at the University of North Dakota. She is the author of two chapbooks: Hiking the Maze (Finishing Line Press, 2009) and Self-Portrait as Bettie Page (Barefoot Muse Press, 2013). Find more information at www.heidiczerwiec.com.

Thanks to Heidi for sharing her awesome tattoo with us here on Tattoosday's Tattooed Poets Project!

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday. The poems and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.