I have a tattoo of you in my heart.
And I know I've said that a lot.
Over and over,
till my tongue felt like a whip against the roof of my mouth
and every time I touched it to form
Words
Sentences
. . feelings,
I was too scared of the repercussions.
So,
I hold the words to myself,
paint my lips bright red,
hold my hands against my chest
and let the wind speak for me.

Your life is permanently etched onto your skin,
as faded colors melting like heated wax.

You're not who you are because of the markings,
the ink represents what you believe in.

The blank,
flesh canvas was provided to show off your art,
your story,
the life you have lived.

My dentist sees
A cavity.
ink on an otherwise clean tooth.
Tarnished and impure.
Something to be removed and I
Regret the sugar soda that put it there.
I touch my cheek, my lips and chin.  
But I don’t feel a thing.

I’m numb, all I feel is buzzing, no pain, only discomfort.
Drills of all sizes have their own vibrations.

Scratching against my clavicle, the artist’s hand is steady.  
My chest rises, falls,  with laughter and grimaces.

My father sees
A tattoo.
Ink on an otherwise clean clavicle.
Stained and immoral
Something to be removed, as if I will ever
Regret the rebellion that put it there.
Fingers dance across raised skin,
my body, a journal, my soul’s true home.

Intricately painted across your skin
Don't know where to stop or to begin
Beutiful designs of black on brown
Feel them and trace them down
I know you only here for tonight
I hope u stay longer than mornings first light
I want to see deeper than the masters canvas
To touch, to hold, to embrace your sadness
I see the loneliness caged below the beauty
I wish I could be the one to set you free

I saw it in your eyes when we first met
When the crystal clinked and our fingers touched
And later when our cloths pealed off
I felt it in your kisses soft
I see u shy, behind your masterpiece
Of boldened colors, sheilding release
Your walls come down as we unite
Our limbs wrap so right
The paint disappears into the moon
And then there is just you
I see u pure and warm and light
The way I imagined you tonight

Then all to soon it's over
And the canvas comes back to cover
The miracle I just shared
As we lifted the darkness from your head
Is over again as morning light comes in
And I place my last kisses on your specially crafted skin.

Under my Jean folds
There lies a world of art
An octopus and a ghost under the calf
The front harbours an alien
Craving validation
And to be  more than just a figure head
Mocked by the words on his shoulder
And his challenger to the right
His fight will be permanent
Staking claim to the land he occupies
Blank spaces are new territories to be claimed
And named
After the Victors of a minor sting

Blank—
That’s my mind when they talk and laugh,
sharing stories of shallow privilege.
What should I say:
That I don’t feel like a person,
That I don’t know how to brush my teeth and be okay.
They got tattoos of dolphins, with friends over spring break, on their wrists;
I got the words second chance, by myself in a ***** strip mall, over my heart.