During the 1999 Salisbury Festival (a poetry festival with no readings or
set events, as such) various poems were commissioned to be displayed in
specific ways at specific sites. Michael Donaghy 'drew' the tattoo poems,
and these three were actually tattooed onto the skin of volunteers. I hope
there's no copyright reason why I shouldn't reproduce them here, though I'd
like to point out that a book of all the poems commissioned, 'Last Words;
New Poetry for the New Century', ed. Don Paterson and Jo Shapcott (Picador),
is well worth getting hold of.
TATTOOS
1
The serpent sheds her skin and yet
The pattern she'd as soon forgot
Recalls itself. By this I swear
I am the sentence that I bare.
2
Come years, poor thieves, and waste your time.
I never lock my door.
But in this sign, and by this rhyme,
I am your conqueror.
3
Copy this across your heart
And whisper what your eyes have heard
To summon me when we're apart
This spell made flesh, this flesh made word.
Michael Donaghy
As to what I myself would choose, I shall have to think about that, and
about where to put it!
best joanna
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2005 9:20 AM
Subject: Tattoo You
>I read recently that the women in the Yoshiwara sometimes tattooed their
> favorite haiku along with the name of their chief patron on certain
> parts of their bodies. This intrigued me so much that I thought I'd
> enlist the help of the list concerning the idea of worn poetry/text.
> Please participate by telling us, specifically, what poem/text you would
> have tattooed on your body, and exactly where on your body you would
> tattoo the poem/text in question. Poems can be in any language, and any
> length and of course any part of the anatomy is fair game. Oh yes, and
> you could tell us why you would place the poem where you would place it.
>
> Instances of tattoo poetry/text from history, or popular culture would be
> appreciated. If you're really game you could text yourself and tell us
> about it. It might make an interesting addition to a future ahadada
> book. Jesse
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