Tuesday, September 17, 2013

No Further Explanation (Poem)

No Further Explanation

Punctuate your body
with any pretty little picture:

the heart that took yours
the American Beauty rose

still climbing your ankle
enchained with the dog

tag left behind with too few
other personal effects.

Uncover that old peace
sign you held so high back

in 1968 after you kissed
your first boyfriend, long

before he got drafted
and your skin healed over

for the last time, requiring
no further explanation.

© 2013 Maureen E. Doallas
___________________________

I offer this poem for this month's tattoos theme at TweetSpeakPoetry and Every Day Poems.

10 comments:

Chrys Fey said...

As someone with a tattoo, and who knows most tattoos have meaning, I appreciate this poem!

Thanks for sharing it!

Hannah Stephenson said...

"Uncover that old peace/ sign"--I love that line break.

Peggy Rosenthal said...

Maureen, you're amassing quite a collection of tattoo poems--all wonderful. Through tattoo art, you're finding new angles on our life in our bodies.

Margaret said...

tattoos ... awesome topic for a poem. I will have to be more observant and see how they speak to me when I'm out and about "people watching". Nicely done!

Anonymous said...

the story behind the tattoo

brudberg said...

The imprint of the skin so visible... the imprint on your soul much the same, you only have to look deeper.

Anonymous said...

The story of a tattoo is awesomely nice and powerful words you have used. I like this a lot. :)

HisFireFly said...

before the skin heals over
yes, this!

Colin Morgan said...

From the general to the specific, and back to general again, the poem makes me think of those I know with tattoos in a new way.

Beachanny said...

I'm fascinated with the topic of these poems as I am with people who have them. Your words, staccato and succinct give me new understanding of why people "puncture" themselves with personal and meaningful symbols.