Challenge
Topic: Tattoos
Piercing the Heart
It’s not the same now
stretched and faded
yet so indelibly there
I trace these outlines
with a finger and stare
I can’t help not wonder
just what did you feel
in that moment surreal
when you held up your
breath and welcomed
a touch of death...
to cut right thru the self
with stains dark ’n red
steeped underneath to
brand this raw flesh
like chattel belonging
to someone else...
some local magnet....
some distant past...
It only tickled you say
but I still wonder how?
What longing belies
the needle or knife
that you accepted
into your idol life...
What was it missing
beneath the skin...
that you so wanted
to permanently
carve in?
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