Tattoo
Hellie Hadfield
Published on
page 18 of Tarot #6
(June 2023)
Deep breath as needle thrums
Laying back my body hums
Another breath, calm quickening pulse
A gulp of coke, lightheadedness
A body lost in day to day
Oftentimes all shut away
Moving to a slurring beat
Foggy head and shuffling feet
Still each day I play a role
But here and now I take control
Fingers play and black ink flows
Around the edges pink skin glows
Design unfurls in blackened whirls
Mixed amongst the skin-white swirls
Of my puzzle, another piece
Relief sweeps, feel deep release
Monotone, a scratch of red
For this new start I proudly bled
Excited now I get to see
This new, improved, created me
A tingle runs down my spine
This body now is truly mine