Today's tattooed poet is Jane Crown, who shared this tattoo:
Jane credited an English artist named Oliver from Pulse Tattoos on St.Peter's Way, in Northampton, England. The "M" placed on the back of her neck, she explained, "is to serve the memory of such goodness in her brother whom died." She added, "the lettering is further a nod to the individual whom she spent her year abroad with,whom made her brave enough to leave home for that long."
Jane sent us the following poem:
A & E
"Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality.
But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty,
socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude".
- Alexis de Tocqueville
Nearly six in the morning, lungs do not tell time the
way night does. You employ guileless steps in the
ambulance of how to be stroppy with your wheezing.
You use your eyes, roll them unapprovingly towards
the notion of dying in a vehicle as they drive slower
towards help. Sickness when it has an American
accent, even if not heard fully, truly annoys some
foreigners. You sit ready to plead your case before
doctors and staff once steel doors lament you upon
inner sanctum. You feel satonic jabs of blood
tests in lieu of betterment to breathe. Jokes help
as you have pasties with leads of snakes, making
your breasts freeze behind paper curtains barely
cosied in chagrin. Machines go inky dark, turn
into undignified balloons, not made for health
or virtue. You boyfriend is on the way, but he's
late, him and his white horse now stippled brown.
You lay your head down in the unit, finally a bed.
It's been eleven harrowing hours misting in
corridors of agony alone. An orderly tells you
to close your eyes, this new world of peaceful
innovation is yours. The room is filled with deciduous
eyes, Mother comes to mind. You miss her lap, her
worrying for you, as you carry on your life inconsiderate
of hers. They discharge you cleanly in two day's time,
giving you standing orders you comply to your
confidence, all will be all right. Nothing so calming
as a puff of air in a can. Grateful at last you are for
strict Socialism bought with government currency.
You've only paid with one long journey in a first class
seat, paralleled with your expatriot boldness to
procure and exploit its expediency. Hateful are the
strangers, your brand new emergency family.
~ ~ ~
Jane Crown is an award-winning author and American archivist. Her published books include Her
Delicate Shoe (Polymer Grove Press) and A Love Letter to Darwin (Lummox Press). She is the
Publishing Editor of Heavy Bear Journal and Host for Jane Crown's Poetry Radio Show. She
is currently working on her 3rd book of poems after a year's trip abroad entitled,This Little Room.
Her further publications, audio archives and books can be found by a simple search engine.
Thanks to Jane for sharing her poem and tattoo with us on the Tattooed Poets Project!
This entry is ©2017 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission.
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