Vincent Cellucci on the Tattooed Poets Project

Our next tattooed poet is Vincent Cellucci, who shared the following photo featuring several tattoos:

Vincent describes how these tattoos came to be:

"This chest piece began with the script 'P' over my heart, a memorial for my mother, Philomena, who died when I was young, so I knew I would never regret the tattoo. I got it when I was 17 on my first trip to New Orleans from a pretty sketchy parlor that used to be located across from Le Bon Temps Roule Bar, after drinking and dancing to Kermit Ruffins all night. My friend and fiction writer, Peyton Burgess got one with me; in fact, it was the first time we met.

The tattoo continued with the two signatures, one of my maternal grandmother, Jowena, and one of my paternal one, endeared Nemom. Both matrons of my family passed rather close together during the early rebuilding days of Katrina, while I was managing Theo's Pizza (one of the first places open after the storm) and pursuing my graduate school studies in poetry at LSU.

Nemom was an avid letter writer, world traveler, autodidact, polyglot, opera aficionado, and wise, little Italian grandmother—most of which she redefined herself as after raising a large family and being widowed. For a girl that worked at a sewing factory in the Bronx and never finished high school, she developed into a real Renaissance woman. She reminds me to never stop learning and pursuing new passions.

Nana Jowena corresponded with me frequently, but her profundity leans more towards vitality than letters. She embodied both strength and joy to me. This woman had a lonely and tragic life: losing two daughters, caring for her ill mother, and dealing with a bitter divorce to allude to just a few of the adversities she overcame. I never once heard the woman complain. Quite the opposite, she was the warmest, funniest entity you would ever meet. She was always strong. She never wallowed. In fact, she laughed constantly, never preventing herself form 'busting out.' She cooked daily too (with no money for groceries) and shared her food and joy with anyone that she interacted with, while confined to her small house in Philly: the mail people, the neighbors, the nuns that brought her communion. I strive to always maintain her disposition, the greatest of her many life lessons.

The large inked figure was done at Electric Ladyland (@electricladylandtattoo) on Frenchman St. I remember going with poet Christopher Shipman [appearing later this month on the Tattooed Poets Project!] as he was getting a memorial tattoo for his grandfather. Based off a detail of an oil painting of mine [see below], this mysterious gesture both resembles a bird and an angel. 

The lore of the Cellucci family name is that it means 'little bird.' I also know these women are my guardian angels and I would not be, nor be the person that I am, without them. I had the idea that it would tie the family memorial chest piece together and the artist watered down the ink to try to get that faded, dry brush-like effect. He was a cool guy and up for the challenge to try adapting the painting to skin. Poetry is such a glorious space for ambiguity, multiple meanings, and imagination, so I wanted a gestural, figurative tattoo too.

This family memorial tattoo will never be finished as I'm sure it will only grow, unfortunately.

Everyone should get the tattoos they want, but I get the tattoos I have to—"

Vincent also sent us the following poem, from his newly-released Absence Like Sun, re-published with permission from Unlikely Stories and Lavender Ink:

send someone close   second to none

right back to the mugging hum drum

of living life silent as an order for one

instead of a loud hand molding fantasies

into being maybe that was god’s error

the audience of his mission

couldn’t forgive him for setting the garden

with a naked awakening

craving for like company

children now too doped up to redeem

humanity may be the most fragile medium

this planet sympathy symphony

in a minor key that the poets sing

been battling the abyss since the beginning

been tattling on our brethren for a pittance

I can’t scrape my soul off the bleached coral

I can’t escape the mortal

mortar I’m afraid binds nothing

oversaturate the roots and see what grows

compost the roses like brown banana peels

I meant it when I ripped open my shirt

you watched the fault line form

down the middle of my crypt heart

inked with the tears I held in

over the plucked feathers of my family

I still talk to every day

yesterday my father promised me

he would be there to talk until his death

and while I plan to take him up

on such a gracious guarantee

I reminded him that even when he’s dead

I will be speaking to him

I’m not sure how he took that

because that’s when we both hung up

but that’s how I live fully in this world

and fully in the next

until the whole fucking geode crumbles

to gleaming debris

and my graveyard gets folded

into a greater graveyard lapping behind

~ ~ ~

Vincent Cellucci wrote Absence Like Sun (Lavender Ink, 2019) and An Easy Place / To Die (CityLit Press, 2011). He edited Fuck Poems an exceptional anthology (Lavender Ink, 2012). He also has two collaborative titles: come back river (Finishing Line Press) and _a ship on the line (Unlikely Books), which was a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award. Vincent performed Diamonds in Dystopia, an interactive poetry web app at SXSW in 2017, and the poem was anthologized in Best American Experimental Writing 2018.

Thanks to Vincent for sharing his poem and tattoos 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.

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.net 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.

Jackie's Beautiful Back Tattoos

This past June at he annual Mermaid Parade (@mermaidparade) on Coney Island, I met Jackie, who shared some gorgeous tattoos on her back:

Jackie explained that the flowers on the left are dogwood blossoms, in honor of her grandmother. The mandala on the right is a nod to her being a yogi.

Both pieces are the creations of Felix Vayner (@felixvayner) from Woodstock Tattoo Studio (@woodstocktattoostudio).

Thanks to Jackie for sharing her awesome tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Taylor's Undersea Tattoo

Last month, I spotted Taylor shopping at a local drug store in Brooklyn, on a particularly warm day. She had this cool thigh tattoo and was kind enough to share it with us: 

Taylor explained, "I've just always loved fish, mermaids, the ocean," noting that the mermaid  is "purple for my grandma, because that's her favorite color." She also added, "we've got Hank from Finding Dory up in there." Those unfamiliar with the film should not Hank is the octopus.

Taylor credited the work to Erica Flannes (@ericaflannes) at Red Rocket Tattoo (@redrockettattoo) in Manhattan.

Thanks to Taylor for sharing her cool undersea thigh tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2018 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

Rajiv Mohabir Helps Launch Our Tenth Year of the Tattooed Poets Project

It is amazing to me that we are in our tenth April, celebrating tattooed poets during National Poetry Month.

We're launching this year's parade of poets with a special contribution from Rajiv Mohabir!

Rajiv sent us two tattoos, beginning with this one, on his forearm:

He tells us:

"The square tattoo is in honor of my Aji, Gangadai Mohabir (my paternal grandmother) who mothered thirteen children in Guyana. It was a long-time tradition for people, and especially Bhojpuri women, to tattoos their husbands’ names on their forearms. There was a belief that people’s names held magic, that by using someone’s name you would disrespect them by giving their power away. My family’s naming traditions are mystical still, albeit changed somewhat.

Here’s a photo of my Aji’s tattoo:

My Aji tattooed her husband’s name (Sewdass) on her arm with and Om above it, so when people asked who her husband was—which seldom happened in the small village of Crabwood Creek—she would be able to show them. My Aja did not have my Aji’s name tattooed on his arm though.

Tattoos were thought to be important, signifying social standing. My tattoo is also in homage to this tradition of 'godna' and the Devanagari script says my ancestors’ names in four generations in the shape of a square. The names are Chandranarine, Sewdass, Mahabir, and Lachchman.

People ask why I don’t tattoo my own name on my arm. My answer is always 'It’s on my

skin—that’s my contribution.'

Rajiv also shared this tattoo:

Rajiv explained:

"Since this is so hetero-patriarchal and on my right arm (cosmologically significant for the masc energies of the body in Vedantic thought), I thought to balance out my energies by tattooing a lotus yantra with the word 'Ma' in the center to keep the women I descend from touching my heart. The left side of the body is believed to be the femme side. My mother was low-key offended that I didn’t have her on my arm. But I told her I have you all over my poems, which will exist longer than my skin. Did I mention that I’m a huge mama’s boy?"

Rajiv shared the following poem, which appears below in its original form in Guyanese Bhojpuri, followed by his translation:

Godna

godna walle ta bulawe
aur baja pe aike kantak leke
hathwa ke juk-juk kare hai
ho rama
hathwa ke juk-juk angrej mein hai
angrej deswa mein inglis bole
hamar paglapan bhulo lalana
ho rama
nu yack mein godna lagal saanwar,
hamar hath pe ii godna lagal,
aapan khandaan-chhap lagal
ho rama
tohar nam likhal hai pitrwa
aapan chamriya pe ajawa
gulaab kantak se nam nam likhal hai
ho rama
koi gaaye walle nahin rahi ohar
jab khoon nikal lage rahi, dard lage rahi
koi rahi nahin dardwa uthaiyeke
ho rama
Kaise bhulye aapan dukh-sukh bhala
kantak ke nisaanwa rahejai
hamar dohe gaayke bataihai
ho rama
kaun jaane hamar muluk
kahan kahan hai hamar gaon
galli galli ghumeli galli galliya
ho rama
kaun batawe kahan kahan pe
ghumeke hai, Rama Rahim ke khoj mein,
kaun bataihe hamar deswa andar hai
ho rama

Godna

You call the tattoo artist
to your door who comes with his needles
to poke your arm

ho Rama
His scoring your skin is in English
In English country speak English
forget my madness

ho Rama
In New York I mark my dark skin
on my arm I inked
the signature of my descent
ho Rama
Your name he wrote, dear ancestor
on my flesh, dear Aja
with a rose’s thorn he wrote your name
ho Rama
No singer played a folksong
when blood erupted and pain began
no song to ease the hurt
ho Rama
Who knows where my country is
where my village is
from gulley to gulley I roam
ho Rama
Who will tell me exactly where
I must wander, searching out Rama-Rahim
Who will tell me my nation is inside me
ho Rama

~ ~ ~

Rajiv Mohabir is the author of The Cowherd’s Son (Tupelo Press 2017, winner of the 2015 Kundiman Prize) and The Taxidermist’s Cut (Four Way Books 2016, winner of the Four Way Books Intro to Poetry Prize, Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry in 2017). In 2015 he was a winner of the AWP Intro Journals Award. His poetry appears and is forthcoming from journals like POETRY, New England Review, Kenyon Review, Quarterly West, and Prairie Schooner. He received his MFA in Poetry and Translation from at Queens College, CUNY and his PhD in English from the University of Hawai`i. Currently he is an Assistant Professor of poetry at Auburn University. To read more of his work, visit www.rajivmohabir.com.

A hearty thank you to Rajiv for his contribution and his participation in the Tattooed Poets Project on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2018 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.net 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.

Andrea's Awesome Arm

I met Andrea yesterday near Federal Hall in lower Manhattan.

She shared the tattoos on her inner right arm:

These beautiful tattoos were inked by Spencer Evans (@spencerevanstattoos) at Easy Tiger Tattoo (@easytigertattoos) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,

Andrea said that the first rose (pictured, far right) is for her grandmother, but that the other rose, the compass rose, and the moth, are all just part of the design on the arm, art for art's sake.

Thanks to Andrea for sharing these awesome tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2017 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

Heather's Memorial to Her Grandmothers

I met Heather last month at the Empire State Tattoo Expo (@NYEmpireExpo) in Manhattan, and she shared a few of the tattoos that she has on her legs, starting with this tribute to both of her grandmothers:

Heather credited Janie Shannon (@janierabbit) at the Rabbit's Den in Milltown, New Jersey, with this work.

Her other thigh is blessed with this beautiful floral display:

This was done by Mike Di Dia at White Lotus Tattoos (@whitelotustattoos) in Tom's River, New Jersey. She started with the flowers and has been adding on - the dragonfly has been the latest addition.

Thanks to Heather for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2016 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

Brewsday Tuesday: Flying Dog Edition

It's time for another installment of Brewsday Tuesday on Tattoosday!

If you missed our initial post, this new feature highlights the body art of someone from an American brewery and shares, not only their tattoos, but a little bit about their company, their role, and a little beer talk, as well.

Today we are honored to be featuring Flying Dog Brewery (@flyingdogbrewery) in Frederick, Maryland!

Meet Heather Ault, who is Flying Dog's Director of National Accounts and Export:

Photo courtesy of  Jessica Patterson Photography 

Before we talk about Flying Dog, let's first take a look at some of Heather's tattoos.

We see she's got quite a bit of ink on her back, so let's take a closer look:

I asked Heather about the lilies on her back and she replied:

"...The lilies are ... Stargazer Lilies ... Funny enough, lilies actually represent purity…..which I would say I lost a long time ago. However, the Stargazers represent prosperity..and well…who doesn’t want to be prosperous? They are actually also my very favorite flower."

As cool as these lilies are, she shared this awesome owl tattoo, as well:

Heather explained the origin of this tattoo:

"There are few reasons behind the owl. First, my grandmother loves owls and has them around her house. Knick knack owls, not actual owls of course. Also, Athena, Greek Goddess Wisdom, warfare, and courage is often depicted with an owl on her shoulder. And, well, I would like to be wise and courageous. So it’s just a little reminder. I added the MD flag shield because I am born and raised in Maryland and I love my state and my flag."

Heather credited Gary Gerhardt (@ggtattoos) at Classic Electric Tattoo (@classicelectrictattoo) in Frederick, MD with both of the lilies and the owl.

Heather has been with Flying Dog Brewery for 11 years. Initially, it was Frederick Brewing Co, which was bought by Flying Dog about a year into her tenure there.

I first took notice of Flying Dog because of their labels. They stand out like works of art on the beer aisle, thanks to the brewery's partnership with the great Ralph Steadman. Steadman is most famous for his collaborative illustrations with the late great Hunter S. Thompson; his artwork for Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas is epic, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Heather raves "I would totally NOT be doing our brand justice if I didn't say something about our label art and Ralph Steadman, our artist." It's hard to disagree when she says, "I would argue that our labels are the best in craft beer because we have Gonzo Artist Ralph Steadman, an icon!"

Just take a look at the six-pack of Raging Bitch I bought:

I've had quite a few of the Flying Dog brands over the years, but Raging Bitch has become one of my favorites, and definitely tops among my favorite IPAs.

Heather was happy to sing its praises and explain why it's such an outstanding brand:

"Raging Bitch is a pioneer beer in the Belgian Style IPA category. Actually, THE pioneer. First of its kind. We were the first to use a Belgian yeast in an IPA and many other breweries have tried to make this style but I don’t think anyone has nailed it like we did yet. She’s very special to me."

I like it because it's not too hoppy, right in the mid-range of the IBU scale and it just has an amazingly pungent robust flavor. And at 8.3% ABV, it packs a good punch, like you would expect of something called Raging Bitch.

I encourage Tattoosday readers to head over to Flying Dog (www.flyingdogbrewerry.com) and check out all their brands, and the great labels, as well.

Honestly, when I first thought about Tattoos and Beer together on Tattoosday, Flying Dog was one of the first to come to mind, because their visual art seems ideal for tattoo enthusiasts. In fact, Flying Dog just celebrated "National Tattoo Day at the Brewery" on Sunday, July 17. Customers visiting their tasting room receive a 25% discount for life, just by showing a Flying Dog tattoo. They even had artists on hand to ink customers. See the flash, and the details about the event here. Maybe I'll drop in next summer!

I want to thank Heather Ault from Flying Dog for sharing her tattoos and her thoughts on working at the brewery. "My favorite part about working with Flying Dog is that I can be myself," she told me, and then added one of their mottos, "Flying Dog is made up of a small, dedicated band of craft beer mavericks who stand tall and never eat shit."

Also thanks to Rohry Flood, Flying Dog's "Master of the Content Universe," for helping me assemble this feature with Heather.

And as a thanks to Tattoosday readers for visiting Brewsday Tuesday, Flying Dog is giving away a special gift pack with a t-shirt, koozie, and bottle opener. All you have to do to enter is either a) comment on the post naming your favorite Flying Dog Brand; b) comment on the post on Tattoosday's Facebook page here, or on Tattoosday's Instagram (@tattoosday); or c) re-tweet this post. How cool is that!?

Cheers!

This entry is ©2016 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

Christina's Rooster at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade

Last Saturday at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade (@MermaidParade) I met quite a few people with cool tattoos. Christina was one of these folks, and this was one of my favorites from the day:

Full disclosure, having a rooster tattoo myself, I have a tendency to like other people's as well.

Christina explained that her grandmother collected roosters, so this drawing she did is an homage to her.

She credited Derek Mullins from Metamorph Tattoo Studios (@metamorphtattoo) in Chicago.

You can see some of Christina's own artwork on her website here.

Thanks to Christina for sharing her rooster with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2016 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

Three Roses from Jane

On Friday I met Jane while walking on Broadway, across from Zuccotti Park. She was kind enough to share these stunning roses with us:

These roses are simple in design, but were executed masterfully. Jane credited Elizabeth Markova from Bang Bang Tattoos in Manhattan. Read a small feature on Markov here.

Jane explained, "the three roses are a representation of the beauty my grandfather, grandmother and daughter have contributed into my life; molding me into the woman I am today."

Thanks to Jane for sharing these stunning flowers with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2015 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

Maddie's Japanese Elm

Earlier this month, I met Maddie in downtown Manhattan on Broad Street after I spotted her foot tattoo:

Maddie got this about eight years ago and doesn't remember the artist's name. She also did not remember the name of the shop, although based on her description of the location, it was most likely The Chicago Tattooing Company.

The tattoo depicts a Japanese Maple tree. "I went in wanting to get an oak," she explained, "but I was sort of convinced by the artist [to get the maple] and I'm really happy with it, with the green on it and everything."
She also told me that the tree pertains to her grandmother, and chose not to elaborate, as it is a family thing.

We don't always get a story, but at least we get to appreciate the tattoo!

Thanks to Maddie for sharing her lovely tree tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2015 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

Kelsy: The Flesh is Weak, But The Soul is Willing

Last month I met Kelsy at The Lock Yard, one of my favorite places for craft beer and artisanal hot sausages. It's also becoming one pf my favorite places for inkspotting.

Kelsy was showing a lot of ink and offered up her chest piece for inclusion on Tattoosday:

Kelsy explained this lovely work:

"I got the tattoo for my grandmother that passed away when I was seventeen. She was basically a mom to me. She always was so nurturing and close to me. So I got the flesh is weak but the soul is willing because I feel that all of the things and all the pain that you go through is only going to shape your soul, what goes on in your soul is willing to persevere through everything  ... I got roses because she grew roses and I'm not Hispanic, but I got a Day of the Dead skull, Dia de Los Muertos, because it's a celebration of death, not the loss ... but the celebration of what they gain and what I gain from always being with me ... even  though i'm 3000 miles away from my family, I feel like they're always with me..."

She said the piece was created by "a mix of a couple people," most notably Eli Falconette at Blacklist Tattoo in Portland, Oregon. Eli was responsible for the roses.

Thanks to Kelsy for sharing this beautiful tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

Ashley Shares Some Dogwood and a Sailor Jerry Classic

Last week I met Ashley down on Pearl Street in Lower Manhattan. She has a lot of ink and was kind enough to share some with us.

First up is some dogwood on her inner arm:

The dogwood actually runs to the other side of her arm, as well:

Ashley explained that "Mame and Ah-Ben" were the names she called her grandparents.

She also shared this traditional Sailor Jerry flash piece:

Thursday will mark the 41st anniversary of the passing of Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins.

The dogwood tattoo and the Sailor Jerry piece was done by "Bad News" Becca Roach, from North Star Tattoo in NYC. I've had the pleasure of seeing Becca work at the NYC Tattoo Convention, so I'm familiar with her work.

Ashley said, "It would probably be funnier if you ask her [Becca] about me," adding, "I'm her worst patient." So I did ask Becca about Ashley and she didn't disappoint with this reply:

"She's a pretty unique lady. Always funny and fun to tattoo. But the only one who's ever gotten up in the middle of it and left. We had to send her girlfriend out to find her. She was hiding at the bar around the corner. Left, said nothing to anyone, and didn't come back."

Thanks to Ashley for sharing her cool tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

Lexy’s Chrysanthemum Sprouts from a Poem

I was leaving my office building last week on Broad Street, when a woman named Lexy walked by with this great thigh tattoo:

I caught up to her, introduced myself and she agreed to share her ink with us here.

This piece was done by Alejandro Lopez, who is based in Pasadena, California, but works out of Addiction NYC when he's in the Big Apple.

When I asked her if she originally went to Alejandro for the chrysanthemum, she said that actually, she
had gone to him for this tattoo on her ribs:

“This is a poem,” she explained, “and I told [Alejandro] the meaning of the poem, and he reached out
to me and said, You know, I really like the poem, it resonated with me and he asked if he could expand
on it … And we sat down and talked about what the meaning was for me and he created this piece [the
chrysanthemum] based on what it meant to me.”

She indicated that the poem is Korean in origin, and it is in her grandmother’s handwriting. It turns
out that Lexy’s grandma was a professional calligrapher in Korea, and the red boxes are actual
representations of her grandparent’s pen names, or signatures, in Korean. How cool is that?

She elaborated a little more on the meaning of the poem:

“The poem itself is talking about whether you live or die as a nameless wildflower or a famous rose, it’s up to you, so you basically take control of your destiny, but [should] also have compassion for those who have no control … it also says something about the day that you’re born is the day that you die.”

Lexy also told me she was born in the year of the snake, which is why she has a cobra tattoo. I didn't think much of it at the time, as I didn't see a snake here.

When I was writing up this post, however, and looked at Alejandro's Instagram page, it all made sense. After getting his permission, along with Lexy's, I am happy to share the whole work-in-progress which, for obvious reasons, I never saw on Broad Street:

Photo Courtesy of Alejandro P. Lopez via http://instagram.com/alejandropaivalopez

Thanks to Lexy for sharing her wonderful tattoo with us here on Tattoosday! Thanks, as well, to Alejandro Lopez for sharing his Instagram collage so we could see his work in its full scope.

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

Catching Up with Meaghan Farrell (at the NYC Tattoo Convention)

One last post from the NYC Tattoo Convention earlier this month.

Three years ago, I met a woman named Meaghan in Penn Station, and she was generous in sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday - we split them into two posts here and here.

Occasionally, when I meet some random total stranger and interview them, we connect through social media, and we become acquaintances and, occasionally, friends. Meaghan is one of those special contributors who I now consider a friend. That said, I was delighted when, on day two of the convention she messaged me that she was on her way to Roseland.

One of the tattoos we featured back in  2011 when I first met Meaghan was this rose on her shoulder:

As I explained back then, the rose represented her memory of her grandmother, who had an amazing garden.

In the three years since we last saw each other, this sole blossom has developed into a cluster of flowers:

And her grandmother, still close to her art, resides on her inner right biceps:

I always love checking back in on people we've featured before to see how there work is coming along. These tattoos were done by Meaghan's sole tattooist, Mr. Beans from Fat Cat Tattoos NYC in Astoria, Queens. I even had the pleasure of meeting him at the show, as well.

I'd be remiss if I failed to mention that Meaghan is a singer/songwriter and is worth checking out at her website here. In fact, she's performing a week from today (April 4) at the Bowery Electic to celebrate the release of her new EP, East Coast Girl. You can get a free download of the title track on her Facebook page here.

It was great seeing Meaghan again and catching up with her tattoos! Go see her live next Friday!

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

Amy Honors Her Grandmother with a Brandon Maldonado Design (via Zac Brown)

Last month, Tattoosday reader Amy was the lucky winner in our Brooklyn Tattoo t-shirt giveaway.

We struck up a transcontinental conversation, and she offered to share some of her work with us, in what we  call a little "tattoorism."

Let's take a look:

She credited the work to Tony Carey at Hold Fast Tattoo in Prescott, Arizona.

Amy explained, "it's based on the original artwork of Brandon Maldonado's "Our Lady of Merciful Fate" which was featured on the Zac Brown Band's album Uncaged."

via brandonmaldonado.com

She added, "I was looking for something to honor my grandmother and I had been wanting a day of the dead tattoo ... when I saw this album cover I fell in love with Brandon's art."

Thanks to Amy for being a top-notch Tattoosday reader and generously sharing her ink with us here on the site!

This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

A Trio of Roses on Anna, in Memory of Amada, by Nikko Hurtado

The Monday after the New York City Tattoo convention last month, I was a bit sad, because I knew that finding quality tattoo work like that which I saw at Roseland Ballroom was going to be a lot more challenging.

I was mulling this over while standing outside of my local laundromat in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, when I noticed a woman in front of Starbucks, across the street. She had an armful of black-and-gray ink, so I wandered over to introduce myself, and wow, was I in for a treat.

The woman's name was Anna, and she had lived in Los Angeles, where she had been tattooed by the amazingly talented Nikko Hurtado. In addition to some portraits, he had also inked these roses on her upper arm:

Amada, which means dearly loved, was Anna's grandmother, who loved roses, and who passed away around the time that she got the tattoo. There are three of the flowers, because that is Anna's lucky number.

As mentioned above, these were done by Nikko Hurtado, who works out of Black Anchor Collective in Hesperia, California. Just look at this detail in the work:

Thanks to Anna for sharing these lovely roses with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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: Su Zi

Our next tattooed poet is Su Zi.

As you can see, she has a few tattoos.

Of her body art, she selected this piece to share:

Su Zi explains:

"I am sending ... a fuller portrait, and ... the tattoo on my knee ... holding a cup and saucer with the same motif. I chose this tattoo because it is the only china pattern I like. I was given this set of china by my grandmother, with whom I felt close. I liked the pattern for its mystical whimsy, and tried to keep my set intact through a tempestuous life. I also miss my Grandmother. In the winter of 2012, I had Liz Gruesome tattoo the pattern on my knee at the Marked For Life convention (generally, all women artists), to which I have been a faithful attendee since its inception. I chose my knee, because that's where I habitually set my cup when I am trying to be proper in company -- as I was taught, you know? I like the idea of the pattern on the cup being repeated on my knee--or vice versa. It was not the most painless choice I could make, but that's part of the totem--yes?"

Incidentally, Liz Gruesome works out of Smokin' Guns Tattoo in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Su Zi sent us a poem to accompany the tattoo. Entitled "Three Days," she likes "the synchronicity of the Gramma tattoo and the poem ... a sort of matrilineal theme to it all, and death and loss and all that."

                                                  Three Days

1 Hallows

The Frankenstorm has put frost on the blades of Florida

     and there are angry dishes in the kitchen

     of this house that you touched briefly so long ago.

The tree you planted is full, vigorous and larger than expected.

Your tears in the water are a chemistry beyond your degree.

There’s a full moon that is livid in the northeast

     and a pink candle in the window to the north,

     because you have aged past

     Jack O Lanterns

     and my children have fur.

You would be eighty one today

     and my costume is your habit: jeans, flannel, thick boots,

      preoccupied scowl.

Of your many gifts, I have your eyebrows

     your soup recipe ---

Oh how I would invoke

     your lullaby or your laugh.

2 Saints

The flesh of the earth yields,

     turning between small, square palms.

It is the day for dice and the washing of graves,

So the last feathers of the late storm

     make a thousand thousand perfect circles at 3pm

     to the gratitude of the grass, which glows,

     to the glory of the names facing skyward.

Here is our oval, rising into shapes

     veils of evaporation

     urns of clay

The full moon later

       with Jupiter on her shoulder

3 Souls

In the blue of the morning,

      while the oldest oak still dreams of night’s mists,

The moon pales west past fallows and pastures

      dew spangled cobwebs,

      tiny skittering birds

My hands speak all day of grain and reins,

    keypads, of a bruise,

       of the definitive slant of light,

       of these moments without memory

Yet my attire is your lesson:

       big sweaters, careless hair,

       bare face, blue jeans

       my meal is dinner, because

       that’s what you taught,

       and there’s the purchased plate of fried shrimp.

In fact, the chocolate phosphate of your Depression Era soda-fountain childhood

       is now an unspoken institution at the dam diner: a legacy

       to those who never knew you.

There’s no one to see

       your echo in my face

       the jokes made only we would find funny.

We are women who look down when we walk,

       and now today walking

   There were all those we took

      so the conversation continues

       your word

       my honor

   all the internal, reflexive anachronisms.

It was on this very porch

    we decided

    how it would be

     when that phone call came

I said “can you make it so”

And you said “I can do that”

Thus, it was

    (and it was strength to hold fast when unknown voices

    counseled otherwise, but

    you were wise “ignore them”

     thus, it was)

Okay, maybe I am an odd girl

I am your girl

     ending three days homage birthday

     with this memento mori

     of that one morning

   I called you, your voice a single guttural wheeze

   As the Parkinson’s froze your throat

   and I said “I just called to listen to your life”

For a minute I heard your room through the telephone

      until your lost grasp.

A few mornings later, it was 10:35, the nurse answered,

     Unwilling to leave your couch and TV, gave breezy syllables

But it was then

           just then

           your final stillness

Yet I felt you for hours.

At 4pm there was a wind of relief

       full sails of joy

I felt you blossom

     into the physics without formula.

Now this gibbous moon rides forty degrees into her ascent

     and the crickets are the symphony of summer age seven

     nothing will be as crisp as those new cotton pajamas

     after a post-sunburn bath

And if our bodies remember

    all the ways

   then this is one of your many

Thus, it is

    square hands never resting,

    opening not to ashes, but

    to midnight,

     the creeping chill

 An awaited whisper that I

      know is yours

  ~ ~ ~

Su Zi has published poems in New American Writing, Exquisite Corpse ("when it was a print zine and somewhere after it went online"), New Laurel Review, the now-defunct Mesachabe, and in an anthology called Cadence of Hooves. She has published stories and articles (in print, a while back, in Natural Horse and, online, at Gypsy Art and Cosmoetica). SuZi is also an artist, and some of her work is visible in her etsy shop here (www.etsy.com/shop/suzi00). She also publishes a chapbook series disguised as a magazine, that's really artist-made books--hand printed covers, hand sewn bindings-- that has its own Facebook page: Red Mare magazine. She invites readers to subscribe.

Thanks to Su Zi for her contribution to this year's Tattooed Poets Project on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoos 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.