Currently.

 I have a thing for self-portraits & clouds, I guess. I have about 3 or 4 photos just like this.

Reading: In Zanesville: A Novel. I just started this book so I'm only on page 14 (I actually just put my Kindle down to type up this post), but so far so good, if I can even judge it yet. It was a random book that Amazon recommended to me, and I've had good luck with their recommendations before, so I'm hoping this one follows suit. I think it's something about the summertime, but as soon as May rolls around I always find myself reading more than ever.

Watching: Rosemary's Baby. Again. This movie is in my top three movies of ALL TIME and I watch it often. I love everything about it- the story line, the architecture of the old buildings, the clothing (oh, the clothing!), and of course, Mia. And what I wouldn't give for a first edition copy of the actual novel, from 1967. If you haven't seen this film, rent it tonight! I know you'll love it in all of its creepy glory.

 
Thinking about: lots 'o blog stuff. I read an amazing post recently and it was everything I needed to hear- it's probably the best post about blogging I've ever read.  So seriously, if you have a moment, check it out. It started a whole series of thoughts, especially since I'd already been thinking a lot about how I enjoy it most when I don't care or think about numbers or hits or page views and just write, and that's what I've been doing. I also really loved what Ryan said about negative comments and/or criticism. I used to get so bent out of shape by stuff like that but it doesn't bother me at all anymore. And not even the pretend "it doesn't bother me at all" then go obsess about it for 30 minutes kind of thing I used to do. I've evolved/grown up, whatever you want to call it, and I don't mind the negative stuff at all. If everyone agreed with me or loved me, that would be pretty boring, and I think it was important for me to come to the conclusion that if I put it out there, I am opening myself up to whatever may come, good opinions or bad. I'm happy to just go with the flow and it's awesome to have this sense of peace with it...I am almost 30 after all! Ha.

Loving: hot yoga. I've been going 3-4 times a week for the past few weeks and I am so in love with it. My sister, Mom, and a couple of my girlfriends had been going down in Phoenix for awhile and I'd wanted to try it forever. I attended a class of a friend up here and loved it, then ended up checking out a different studio with another friend of mine and really, really fell in love with it. It's been by far the best thing I've ever done for myself physically, and the benefits extend to my spiritual and emotional self too. I was scared to try it at first- all new things (especially new things in 90+ degree heat) can be a little intimidating, but if your local studio is anything like the one I go to it's absolutely worth giving it a try. And if you do, let me know what you think!

Anticipating: the month of May. There's always so much excitement going on- Mother's Day, Shirley's birthday, my birthday, our anniversary, and Hank's birthday (even though his is June 1st).  Lot of love, lots of celebrations!

Listening to: Gaslight Anthem's new song from their album that will be released this summer. They are one of my favorite bands, and although I liked it I wasn't the hugest fan of their most recent album. From the sound of this song they have returned to their roots, and I am really excited to hear the rest of the tracks. This one is great!



Eating: salad. I'm on the biggest salad kick. I have a favorite homemade dressing I make that I've gotten all of my friends obsessed with too, and it makes every salad that much better.

Feeling thankful for: lots. Hank and his ability to snap me out of any bad mood I find myself in. Henry and his new "scaring everyone" game that leaves us laughing so hard we cry. Mexican food (always). The simple but often overlooked things- our home, enough food, etc. And for being able to spend free time exercising...this one is huge and I'm so grateful Hank and I make it a priority for both of us to get in gym/yoga time throughout the week.

How about you? What are you up to today? Feel free to do your own "currently" post on your blog and link back in the comments!

Mother's Day: 4 gifts for new moms

Last week, I featured a Mother's Day gift guide with gift ideas for our own mothers. But I've gotten emails from husbands asking for gift ideas for their wives, since they want to honor the mothers of their own children. How sweet is that sentiment? So, here are four Mother's Day ideas for new mothers...
Read more »

The Tattooed Poets Project: Puma Perl

Our final installment of the fourth annual Tattooed Poets Project is from a repeat contributor, Puma Perl. Puma graced us last year with this contribution.

 Puma wanted to share her newest tattoo with us, and I couldn't possibly turn her down after I saw it:

Puma explains:

"This tattoo was just finished ... on Saturday 2/18/12. It is a companion piece to the mermaid with the Wonder Wheel on my back, which I sent you last year. I guess the Coney Island Theme will continue as Coney Island is torn down, or 'redeveloped.' Both pieces were done by Emma Griffiths, who now works out of Tattoo Culture."

As I live in south Brooklyn, near Coney Island in Bay Ridge, I can't help but be partial to Coney Island-themed tattoos.

Puma sent us a Coney Island-themed poem, to boot:

CONEY ISLAND FEBRUARY
 
He leaves,
the sounds
of a concrete
boardwalk
trailing behind him
 
and I dream
of bass players
and Coney Island,
broken benches
and Coney Island
 
and I dream
of warm peaches
and Coney Island
burlesque babes
and Coney Island
 
I dream
I dream of
Coney Island
 
and I wake,
hands filled
with pussy,
 
unsatisfying,
but I go on
because
progress
must continue.

~ ~ ~

Puma Perl is a NYC-based writer, performance artist, and curator. Her poetry and fiction have been published in over 100 print and online journals and anthologies. 

She is the author of the award-winning chapbook, Belinda and Her Friends, and a full length collection, knuckle tattoos. 

She lives and writes on the Lower East Side and has facilitated writing workshops in community based agencies and at Riker’s Island, a NYC prison. She is a founding member of DDAY Productions, which presents poetry and performance events. Link to her blog for info about book purchases and events: http://pumaperl.blogspot.com/.

Thanks to Puma Perl for her contribution and for rounding out this year's Tattooed Poets Project!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

About a Little Mole Who Wants to Know Who It Was that Pooped on its Head. (Seriously.)

The funniest thing we discovered in Amsterdam was definitely this classic children's book. The title? "About a Little Mole Who Wants to Know Who It Was that Pooped on its Head." Look inside...Read more »

Motherhood Mondays: Biking in Amsterdam

I'd love to share our Amsterdam photos later this week, but in the meantime, want to see some crazy photos of bikes in Amsterdam? Here goes...
Read more »

What's happening...

Nothing! Really nothing! Busy at work and lacking motivation to write and post, which is quite a lethal combination. Doing my best, trying to pull my act together and hopefully things will improve. In the meantime...enjoy this fine new pop tune by Danish act The New Investors...

Tonight is all by New Investors

The Tattooed Poets Project: Shana Wolstein

Our penultimate tattooed poet is Shana Wolstein, who sent us this photo:

Shana explains:

The word 'always,' was the first tattoo I got. It's on my left-wrist, facing me. The song 'Always,' by Irving Berlin, was what my mother used to sing to us when we were sad as children. My sister got a similar tattoo and when my dad asked what my mother would have said, we both had to sheepishly grin because the answer was always 'Wait until I'm dead.'

I got it while I was studying abroad in China and visiting Hong Kong, a few months after she passed away. I wrote [the following] poem after visiting Tai Shan or Mount Tai, one of the 'Five Sacred Mountains' in China. According to Wikipedia 'it is associated with sunrise, birth, and renewal.' "

My Journey of Over 6,000 Steps

The best way to cure a cold
is to climb up the tallest mountain
you can find. Spot as many lucky
birds, rest on every turn, and when
a man offers to carry you—refuse.

When you think you can't go any further,
you will. Like the bird pacing
the ground and shuffling dirt
with his beak, you need patience.

When you close a lock, throw the key
down the mountainside, it can only make
the bond stronger. Forget about food,
or what you thought it was, question

the safety of bottled water, watch old
women climb faster than you, watch
the clouds erase your time, the sun
write it on the walls, the dry stones bleach.

 ~ ~ ~

Shana Wolstein has her MFA from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, where she was the 2011 recipient of the Herb Scott Award for Excellence in Poetry. She has been published by Third Coast Magazine, Anomalous Press, Hinchas de Poesia, OVS Magazine, and more. Still in Kalamazoo, she works as Coordinator for the Prague Summer Program and Managing Editor of the academic journal Reading Horizons.

Thanks to Shana for sharing her poem and tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission. 


If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

The Tattooed Poets Project : Joolz Denby

Our second tattooed poet today, Joolz Denby, hails from Great Britain. Not only is she a tattooed poet, she is a tattoo artist, as well, tattooing out of her shop, Studio Bijoux, in Bradford, UK.

Joolz sent us this photo of one of her tattoos:

Joolz explains:

"This tattoo is from the Dylan Thomas poem Do Not Go Gentle and it is a facsimile of my handwriting. It was done by one of my tattoo masters, Adam Dutton at Lifetime Tattoo in Derby UK where I did my apprenticeship. I had it done in memory of my father, Captain Ron Mumford of the Highland Light Infantry and the Territorial SAS. I loved and still love him very much indeed. He was a soldier, a scholar and a gentleman." 

Here's Joolz performing a poem:



You can also read and hear more of her work on her website here.

We're honored to have Joolz contributing to the Tattooed Poets Project. As one can tell from her wikipedia entry, she's an accomplished figure in England both in poetry and tattoos.

Thanks to Joolz for participating!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission.


If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Ali Jacs

On this, the penultimate day of our fourth annual Tattooed Poets Project, we will be featuring a pair of tattooed spoken word artists.

First up is Ali Jacs, who shared her tattoo in its sketch stage

and in its final state:

Ali explains:

"I got the ... tattoo in January 2010 after a bit of a dark yet very enlightening stage in my life ... The tattoo artist Elton Buchanan is trained in the Maori style of the Te Arawa tribe in New Zealand. There is fair bit of symbolism in this - frangipani flower petals symbolize personal awakening, of which I did a fair amount in 2009! There are fish scales which symbolize the 'taniwha', or mythical Maori protector who dwells in the ocean, there is weaving to symbolize strength in family and friends and there are two Manaia - guardian spirits of the earth, sea and sky. Blending in some contemporary culture, there is a treble and bass clef to highlight my connection with music. 

Which ties in quite well with my poem, which I've provided [below] ... most of my poetry these days is focused on performance poetry and this particular piece focuses on the music that we hear in every day occurrences and the sounds that bring this world alive." 

Here is the poem that Ali has shared:

   

Ali Jacs is a performance poet from Wellington, New Zealand. After getting involved in the spoken word community in the Canadian prairies, Ali returned home to New Zealand in 2010. She won 2nd place in the 2011 Going West Writer’s Festival Poetry Slam in Auckland and in October 2011, won 2nd place in New Zealand’s inaugural National Poetry Slam. Having travelled extensively across Canada and Europe, Ali’s poetry is inspired by people, landscapes and cultures encountered on the road, exploring themes of politics, sexuality, social and environmental justice and the madness of these crazy times. Ali runs the monthly performance poetry series Poetry in Motion in Wellington, New Zealand and has recently finished her first chapbook Romantic Pragmatism. You can also check her out on her new website www.alijacs.com.  

Thanks very much to Ali Jacs for her contribution to the Tattooed Poets Project!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. The tattoo is reprinted with the poet's permission. 

If you are reading this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Danielle Shutt

Our next tattooed poet is Danielle Shutt., who sent us two photos.

First is a shot from right after she got inked in June 2007:

And then, a close-up of the tattoo:

Danielle explains:

"My wrist tattoo came out of my own mindless notebook scribblings. It's two intertwined S's, representing my younger siblings' first names. We've been through a lot together. I got the tattoo when I was 23 and living in Richmond, VA. There was a particularly strong surge of family-related peril and tumult back then, and I found myself wanting something that would keep my brother and sister close to me--something less morbid than the black cloth bracelet I'd been wearing. I knew the drawing was exactly 'right,' but it took me a while to commit anyway. I'm the kind of person who needs to be bitten by impulse before I get my body involved in anything. (This includes dancing and doctor appointments.)

In this case, a grande margarita and my friend Kristen did the trick. Kristen accompanied me to River City Tattoo, where a nice guy named Reverend Bob tattooed the symbol on my wrist in less than three minutes. I was happy with it. I always will be.

I get asked all the time about what the tattoo means, which is cool because I love talking about my sibs. I still think of the tattoo as a comfort, but more often these days it reminds me of my brother and sister's hard-fought survival, which in turn reminds me to stay strong, too."

Danielle shares this poem, as well, which originally appeared in thINK, a letterpress book published by Bowe Street Press at Virginia Commonwealth University:

Sometimes I Have to Go Around Will’s Curb

Barbed wire reached to scratch a warning at his window;
or, the slaughter-cows flicked their tails like traffic guards,
and in dusk a roadside tree flashed him old scars
        to beg off new bruises.

But really, there's nothing looking dead there. No car parts
or patches of uprooted grass, none of his teeth half-ground
into the pavement. The wooden stretch of new fence
        isn't as stark as I'd expected.

I guess he kept all the mess of it with him, smashed under
his face, caulked behind his eyelids; or, it's in the red dirt
and bone dust sent up by the tractor hitched to his lungs,
        pulling slow on these back roads.

~ ~ ~

Danielle Shutt completed her MFA in Creative Writing at Eastern Washington University in Spokane, WA, where she taught writing courses and served as a poetry editor for Willow Springs. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Hayden's Ferry Review, Redactions: Poetry & Poetics, PANK, Copper Nickel, DIAGRAM, and Hotel Amerika.

Thanks to Danielle for sharing her tattoo and poem with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission. 


If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Francesco Grisanzio

Every year I meet at least one of the poets featured on the Tattooed Poets Project. Francesco Grisanzio lives in New York and I got the chance to personally photograph his tattoos, which he offered up for us here on Tattoosday:

Francesco explained:

"My tattoos are of the characters from a comic strip I draw, or at least used to draw.

It's been a few years since I made a new strip. The comics haven't been published, but I did receive a great rejection letter from the paper at UMass Amherst when I was a student there.

They said something along the lines of 'We love the art, but you know that this content is unpublishable. Clean it up and we'll talk.'

The tattoos were done in Woonsocket, RI at American Art Tattoo."

Francesco offered up this poem:

Teenage Heaven

After Eddie Cochran

The Coupe, phone, big city—
freedom, Eddie, is what it boils down to.
Sharp crew cut cardigan,
our dearest son,
patriot, toe tap child rebel against homework,
enjoy the benefits of citizenship.
You’ve earned it.
Here’s three dollars.
Have a swell weekend.
We trust you not to make a mess.

But it’s not just youthful ignorance
or innocence where you choose to do what’s right on your own.
We’ve been to the drive in show,
seen peacock letterman, gorilla arm not content on headrest.
How dare you chuckle.  She’s just a child.
My God, Eddie, there’s nothing “little snack” about six hotdogs.
That’s beyond ingestion.  Where will they all go?
What are your intentions with our daughter?
We know she’s beautiful, but show restraint.
Little lady, you’re young.  This is heaven.
You can run.  This is America.
Please.  He’s an animal.  A beast.
And, Eddie, we’re very disappointed in you.

~ ~ ~

Francesco Grisanzio is currently working on his MFA in poetry at The New School. He earned his BA in English from UMass Amherst. His work has appeared or will be appearing in Word Riot, Fawlt, Why I Am Not a Painter, Strange Machine, and Interrobang!? Magazine.

Thanks to Francesco for his contribution to the Tattooed Poets Project on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission. 


If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Julie Kantor

As we wind up the Tattooed Poets Project on this, the home stretch of April, we are double-posting to accommodate the record number of submissions we received this year.

Our second tattooed poet of the day is Julie Kantor.

Julie sent us these photos:

Julie explains:

"It was a very early morning in Portland, OR. I picked up my best friend, Jess, to get breakfast. On the way to the cafe, we saw two guys, each had a shopping cart packed to the brim. They were laughing with each other, smiling these huge smiles. Jess turned to me and said, 'If we were bums, we would still be best friends. Bum friends.' I suggested, strongly, that we get matching shopping cart tattoos. After breakfast we found this small tattoo shop with no name off Glisan that just opened. Inside, we made a deal with the shop's very green apprentice to do both tattoos for $40. The 'bf' in the tattoos stands for bum friends." 

Here is one of Julie's poems:

From the series: Land 

12)
Waters flush north under concrete & steel, rods down
planted, now dry cracks through road we drive over, see
red lines run lengthen out from sky blue & darkening,
say “let's trace this back to where the sun doesn't even
want us w/it,” beam bridge can't take us across all the way
w/out drop before we stand safely or span the land’s
end to its own mirrored opposite. Those could be our feet
on the ground, but we ride this straight across the dividing
line where trains’ tracks alongside plains lead away from
& hear the river call us down, would one body’s dead
weight be enough to pull us into, first think we tie our-
selves w/knots we won't learn the names of, but tangle is
thick w/width, & water's feel enough for loss of, & if we can’t
sustain w/just us then we shouldn’t have to begin with.

~ ~ ~

Julie Kantor just completed her first manuscript, the currently unpublished, The Beautiful West. She is a M.F.A. candidate in poetry at Columbia University where she teaches in the Undergraduate Writing Program. She is also a musician and plays in the new band, Cycles. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Thanks to Julie for sharing her poem and tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission. 


If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

Have a relaxing weekend.

My darlings, what are you up to this weekend? Alex and I just got back from Amsterdam, where we had an amazing time (I'm excited to share photos next week), although now that we're back, we've been smooching on Toby non-stop this morning. We missed him so much! Hope you have a wonderful weekend, and here are a few fun posts, if you find yourself in a blog-reading mood...xoxo

Our friends in Austin took family portraits. Adorable!

Fascinating piece about marriage and sex.

Such a gorgeous haircut.

Alternative to flip flops.

Lion tattoo. Rawr!

Great round mirror.

Fourteen City Hall weddings.

This white cotton dress would be perfect for City Hall.

Make a taco box for new parents!

And these taco holders are a great idea.

Painted glass tumblers.

What an awesome neon clutch.

Have you seen this baby elephant on a beach?

Surprising safety tip: Don't go down slides with toddlers in your lap.

Domino Magazine's special issue is on newsstands now. Excited to nab one today! xo
(Top photo of the Green Tunnel, Castle Garden, United Kingdom)

Weekend Links

I can't believe this was a year ago! Henry was so tiny. 

Another Friday, another set of links, right? And this is going to sound weird, but I'm going to come right out and say it- I am typing this right now and hearing the Gossip Girl voice in my head. Not even kidding. I'm alllllmost caught up and right at the end of the current season and I'm SO INTO it. No spoilers but I'm right after episode 100 and I just watched three episodes in a row...hence hearing this blog read aloud in the GG voice. Call me crazy, I don't mind.

In other non-television news this week has been a good one. Nothing too notable, just very busy and full of hot yoga which makes me immeasurably happy. And luckily this weekend will be full of family and some pool time. I'm looking forward to seeing the lot where my sister and her husband are building their new house too- I'm so excited for them! I'm going to try to remember to take my camera out and about all weekend so hopefully on Sunday I'll have some fun photos to share. So until then.

oh and p.s., I thought I should tell you all, since I mentioned it in my last links post, that the morning after sharing my "ugh, I hate that my mouth is still swollen and I'm in post-wisdom teeth hell" rant, all pain subsided! It was a wisdom tooth (or lack of) miracle. Hallelujah!

----------

If you read one thing on this list, read this article, and then tell me what you think. Here's the first line: "TO Elisabeth Badinter, educated women who become stay-at-home moms have lost their minds." There's so much to say about this, but I'm curious to hear what you all think too. Thanks to Jillian for emailing it to me.

Head over to this post to see if you're the winner of the Homegrown giveaway. If you weren't the winner, you can get 15% off your order using code "sweet 15."

You either like me or you don't. I love this simple quote.

I can't wait to see this.

10 pretty party inspirations.

This dress is so gorgeous, along with the rest of next season's line.

I love this idea of a homemade body scrub as favor gifts- they'd also make great Mother's Day presents.

Sponsor love: pop over and say hi to Meadow Creek.

This is the cutest nursery I've seen, pretty much ever.

And speaking of kiddo rooms, aren't these DIY hot air balloons great?

Peach Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake. Just yes! 

Lauren's 5 Things on a Friday are always good.

Pretty amazing art.

Kelli is over on A Beautiful Mess sharing some style tips. 

How Do You Define Success? Any interesting read over on Vanessa's blog.

I want to live here.

30 things every woman should have and know by the time she turns 30. Hmmm. What do you think?

Boston Terriers are the cutest dogs ever. I may be biased, but just look at this. Too adorable.

Some items I'd love to have in my closet, striped edition: one and two!

And finally, this makes you really stop and think...check out this Dad's time lapse video of his daughter growing up- from birth to age 12. What dedication!

Friday giveaway!

Today's giveaway is from Paper & Chain, a beautiful jewelry line designed by two British friends. I'm completely over the moon about their geometric designs, especially the leather bracelets and triangle studs. Today they're letting one lucky winner choose her favorite piece. Which would you choose?

For a chance to win, please visit Paper & Chain and leave a comment below with your favorite piece. A winner will be selected on Monday, so you have three days! Good luck! xoxo Update: Amanda W. is our lucky winner. Thanks for playing.

Sundae...

New single + video from Spanish indie pop act Sundae...so incredibly sweet, though I don't understand a single word they are singing...




Verano-invierno [2012] by Sundae (Spain)

The Tattooed Poets Project - Heather Truett

Up next on the Tattooed Poets Project is Heather Truett, who sent us this photo:

along with a shot of the tattooist at work:

These may appear as three seemingly simple Hebrew letters, but there is more to this piece than just a Hebrew word, as Heather elaborates:

“The tattoo was a 27th birthday gift from a girlfriend I have known since I was 6 and she was 3. We went together. She got a Latin phrase in a beautiful script and I chose this. I had been planning a tattoo to somehow commemorate a friend who died and my own battle with depression. The verse in scripture that speaks most to me is Isaiah 61:3, which includes the phrase ‘beauty for ashes.’ The girl I wanted to commemorate, Natalie, also loved the verse. On a whim, I looked the verse up in Hebrew. I always love following a verse back to its origin and trying to understand what the words actually meant to the writer, rather than placing all trust in modern translation. When I realized the Hebrew word used to mean beauty in that verse actually means, ‘a crown of beauty,’ as in, a young girl being crowned queen and given honor and status in society, I knew I had my tattoo.

You see, every year, on the anniversary of the day Natalie died, her friends around the world don tiaras and wear them wherever they go. We paint our toenails purple, as she loved to do, and we drink a Diet Coke in her honor. There are other rituals, but these are the big three. To find the word ‘crown’ hidden there in my verse left me in tears, good tears, the kind of crying you do when someone at last understands exactly who you are and what you mean to them. I printed and double-checked the Hebrew lettering and took it with me to Devine Street Tattoo on a visit to Columbia, SC. It's not fancy, just three letters. But those three letters say so much to me every time I look at them. I placed the word on the inside of my left ankle, so when I look down or cross my legs, I see the tattoo. I don't mind showing it to other people, and I love telling how I chose it and why I got it, but it is, ultimately, for me and me alone, so I wanted it in a place easy for me to see."

By way of a poem, Heather submitted this:

My Brother is the Poem

My brother is the poem that exists,
still busily writing itself
in the hills of my hometown.
He leaves for work, welding
in leather and heat and without
a single complaint, because, hell!
He needs the job.
He strings out verse and stanza,
tripping over the meter
on seventy acres of God's creation.
Don't let them mine you too,
Big Brother.

It's with rhythm and flow that
he pays the bills and loves the wife and
suffers the pain of parenthood that stabs
with its cliche sword, double-edged.
Who knew? Who predicted
snowflakes and razorblades?
My brother, cigarette lit and smoke circling,
is the poetry falling
to earth, right there,
in Eastern Kentucky, while I
only call myself a poet, writing
in the air conditioned suburb, pretending
I got out, when I never did,

not really, anyhow.

Years pass and miles unroll like
so much butcher paper
down the holler, but my body still grows roots
back home, there, in Nat's Creek,
Daniel's Creek, Homer's trailer,
white house with black shutters,
minnow fishing, snake killing,
coal mining with the black lung,
family and the most Primitive of
Baptist churches, where
my soul gets fed, and only then
can the poem
grow branches.

~ ~ ~

 Heather Truett describes herself as “Hill-born, a coal miner's granddaughter, a brilliant spark of brain with a wee bit of crazy thrown in for good measure, a writer, a poet, a wife in the bizarre world of the church, wearer of silver tiaras and painter of purple toenails, I am me. I have published poetry, essays and articles in the past. My credits include: The Mom Egg, The Paintsville Herald, Jackson Free Press, Slugfest Ltd, Abundance Press, The Invitation Tupelo, Busy Parents Online, Mommy Tales, Just For Mom and other publications (more info available on my website, www.madamerubies.com). I am currently a homeschooling Mom to a special needs child and the wife of a youth minister in Tupelo, Mississippi. I have taught poetry workshops in schools and for the homeschool co-op we participate in each semester.” You can also check out her website, madamerubieswrites.blogspot.com.

Thanks to Heather for her contribution to the Tattooed Poets Project!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission. 


If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Mother's Day is Sunday, May 13th--about two weeks away! Here are 10 gifts she'll love...
A bouquet of peonies, above, since they're pretty much every woman's favorite flower. $93.
A mug to make her laugh, $14.
Brunch cooking class in Brooklyn, celebrated on Mother's Day. $125/person.
Plant topper, to fill her bedroom with light and rainbows, $140.
Morse code bracelet that spells out "mom," $40.
Fondue pot filled with chocolate, $20, plus a basket of strawberries. Made in Paris, naturellement.
Your favorite childhood photo sent to her in a silver frame, $28, to remind her that you'll always be her baby. (Get 10% off any Pinhole Press order with the code CUPOFJO.) P.S. That's my mom, my twin sister and me above:)
Friendship earrings--one for you and one for her. $55.
Field of Grass soy candle, to transport her to freshly cut grass in the countryside, among daisies, beneath the sun. $20.
An astrology reading, because how fun is that?! And lunch afterward to talk about it all.

P.S. More great gifts for women...

The Tattooed Poets Project: Will Roby

Today's tattooed poet is Will Roby.

It is also the birth date of the philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein.

You might think these two items are unrelated, but you'd be wrong.

Here is the tattoo Will selected for us:

Will elaborates:

"I am a huge fan of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, and I'm interested in covering my entire back with words. You'll notice the edge of an image of Texas, but other than that, all of my tattoos are text-based. The artist is a friend of mine, who requested to be called simply 'Heath.' The inspiration is simple: to remind me that my thoughts are capable of becoming reality if I allow them."

Will selected this poem to share here on the Tattooed Poets Project:

Stupefactive

Half a glass full, optimistic warbling grackles; they pester me.
To the dogs with them! It's abrasive, this new sweater, get it off me.
So restrictive, I'm in shackles, knuckles tickled. Stupefactive
glance along a mirror, that old meme, "coexistence or bust." Alternator
of my heart, spark plug liver: must they rust so fast? A last jitterbug
then no more jumpstarts, I'll have to quit her.  Shrug twice 
if you understand, here's a sidesplitter: never once changed the oil, bugs
all jammed up in the works, tin foil holding up the engine mount. And count
the parts you couldn't sell, the fans and belts, good for nothing, hell,
the junkman sniffs the air. There you have it, glass half full, a queasy
spare tire of a feeling. Easy, Tiger, someone says, a glass half full
might be the only thing to crack through that thick skull.

~ ~ ~

Will Roby is a poet living in Texas. His poems have appeared at 32 Poems, Tri-Quarterly, Umbrella,The  Melic Review, Karawane, Yareah Magazine and others. He's madly in love with Emily Van Duyne and their child Hank.

Thanks kindly to Will for contributing his tattoo and poem to this year's poetic adventure on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission. 


 If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content.

Literate & Stylish: Jess from TART

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 








from Jess, of TART

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games is a trilogy that snuck up on me even though everyone assured me that I would love it. It's the story of a girl who has to grow up too fast, make decisions one should never have to make and do whatever it takes to ensure her family and friends are safe. You'll have no choice but to fall in love with the characters and cheer on even the worst of them at some point or another. With heroes like the struggling girl next door, the stylist/activist and the pitiful drunk. With villains in the form of a hegemonist, a materialistic society, a man with the power of life or death by button and unique mutations. With unexpected humor, inevitable sadness, real and palpable love instead of fairytale fluff and so much more, this book is one that pulled me in and still won't let go long after my eyes ferociously scanned the last sentence of Mockingjay. Don't let all of the Hollywood hype fool you into overlooking this story because if nothing else, it's an entertaining and easy read that is sure to stir up enough emotion that you just have to finish all three books! May the odds be ever in your favor...

Wednesday giveaway!

Today's giveaway is from Pyrrha, a handcrafted jewelry collection based in Vancouver. Worn by celebrities like Katie Holmes and Reese Witherspoon, the personal talisman necklaces symbolize what you are and what you believe in. For example, the anchor above symbolizes hope and optimism, and the bee stands for creativity. (My favorite might be this mother bear, which symbolizes strength, ferocity and the protection of one's children.) How incredible and empowering to wear one everyday.

One lucky winner will get to choose her favorite piece from the shop (up to $200). Which would you choose? See them all here.

For a chance to win, please visit Pyrrha's online shop, and leave a comment below with your favorite piece. A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow. Good luck! xoxo Update: Aubrey B. is our lucky winner. Thanks for playing. xo