Sonia Greenfield's Passionflower (The Tattooed Poets Project)

Today's Tattooed Poet is Sonia Greenfield, who I met last fall at the Best American Poetry 2018 launch reading. She subsequently sent us a few photos of one of her tattoo experiences:

Sonia told us the following story of her passionflower tattoo:

"I got this tattoo at the Sacred Rose (@sacredrosetattoo), which used to be in The Mission in San Francisco. My tattoo artist was Bryan Randolph (@bryanrandolph), and I feel so lucky to have had him do my artwork. This tattoo-- its bold lines and strong color-- have stood the test of time. The tattoo looks as fresh as a new blossom, still, yet it is twenty years old. Bryan is now tattooing at Spider Murphy's (@spidermurphystattoo) in San Rafael if you're in the Bay Area and looking for new ink. I can't recommend him enough if bold is your aesthetic.

I chose a passionflower for a few reasons-- I like the intricacy and architecture of this flower, its colors and textures. I like it as a symbol for passion, which is what drives us towards whatever it is we wish to acquire or achieve. Funny story about the location of this flower: My now husband couldn't remember the term 'tramp stamp,' which this tattoo certainly is not, but he came up with an even worse term for a tattoo located on the small of the back: 'Wait, what do people call a tattoo that's just above the butt? People call it a hag tag, right?' No, dear, it is neither tramp stamp or hag tag. It's art in a place of intimacy." 

Sonia also sent along her poem....


Lord's Prayer

dear lord
please grant me a spot
in the sand
on a Tunisian beach
with water so blue
it makes my eyes ache
and tiny crabs
that tickle the length
of my legs
but never pinch
and a novel
in my hands
about a woman
whose regrets match mine
but who finds contentment
on a swatch of beach
in Tunisia
where she reads of sadness
much like her own
yet moves on
dear lord
all I ask for
is a dog who will live forever
one who will rescue my only son
from wells
from the waves
of an ocean that cares little
for what it sucks in
or spits out
from the spiteful girlfriend
who breaks his five
prized possessions
because the boy could never
sniff out her cruel streak
dear lord
please let me finally
write the one poem
that will bring peace
to the Middle East
oh lord
I ask these
simple things of you
here in an American town
far from a Tunisian beach
my best dog dead
almost a year
and my child
only as tangible as hard sun
on unfeeling waves
where the glare
brings tears to my eyes
as I ask for your mercy
amen

~ ~ ~

Sonia Greenfield was born and raised in Peekskill, New York, and her chapbook, American Parable, won the 2017 Autumn House Press/Coal Hill Review prize. Her first full-length collection, Boy with a Halo at the Farmer's Market, won the 2014 Codhill Poetry Prize. Her work has appeared in a variety of places, including in the 2018 and 2010 Best American Poetry, Antioch Review, Bellevue Literary Review, Los Angeles Review, Massachusetts Review, and Willow Springs. Her collection of prose poems, Letdown, is forthcoming in 2020 with White Pine Press as part of the Marie Alexander Series. She lives with her husband, son, and two rescue dogs in Hollywood where she edits the Rise Up Review and directs the Southern California Poetry Festival.

Thanks to Sonia for sharing her passionflower and poem with us here on the Tattooed Poets Project on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2019 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission.

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Two Stars Shining on Nicole

A common Tattoosday ritual for me is to go to the bank at lunch and, time permitting, head over to the Manhattan Mall and make a circuit through the food court, before heading back to the office.

Needless to say, as any regular Tattoosday reader could tell you, pickings have been slim since the mercury dropped below 50 for the season.

Yet I am an optimist, and forever on the lookout for ink, as evidenced by last week's "Queen of Hearts" post.

However, my hopes were slim as I headed out at lunch and encountered a drizzle that the meteorologists hadn't forecasted until the evening. Nonetheless, I went to the bank on 6th Avenue and then visited the mall.

The location introduced me to Alex (here) and has had promising ink displays, discovered only when the weather drove me indoors. I passed out a flier or two in the food court earlier this winter, but to no avail. The one problem with the food court is inherent in its very nature. Most
denizens are eating, and I am reluctant to disrupt the meals of people, tattooed or otherwise.

On Tat-Tuesday, I made the food court pass, seeing nothing, and was on my way out when two
tattooed stars behind a young woman's ear caught my eye:


To be honest, I've never been bowled over by stars, but these were colorful, and it is January, and even the simplest tats can be fraught with meaning.

Nicole was sitting alone (another plus, on the approachability scale, as I tend to shy away from groups) and she had a coffee and Cinnabon on the table, as she played with her cell phone.

I approached and asked if I could talk to her about her stars and she gladly obliged.

Nicole and I discussed the two stars behind her right ear.

They have no significance, they are just decoration, "for the hell of it," done partially out of boredom.

So the next question is generally the "how many do you have" inquiry. Nicole reacted to the question like most people who have a ton of ink: uncertainty. My limited experience leads me to believe that, somewhere between twelve and eighteen, one loses count.

At that point the ink has taken on a life of its own, and the clusters, sometimes themed, sometimes not, become sleeves.

Such was Nicole's situation: under the winter coat and long pants blossomed an explosion of colorful ink. I did not see them, nor did I ask, but she catalogued a host of designs, "mostly girlie stuff," like stars, flowers, and hearts.

"About six years worth..." of accumulated ink.

Like most people, Nicole is loyal to one shop, New York Adorned (featured previously here and here on Tattoosday). The artist who inked the "baby pink" and "baby blue" stars was Bryan Randolph.

Thanks to Nicole and her two shining stars! Here's hoping she'll make a return to Tattoosday in the future!