Zoe's Birds, Aloft

I met Zoe a couple weeks ago when I spotted an incredible bird tattoo creeping up over her shoulder:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEU-Dsge4mLw00QYojN12Z81lwAdNfFJDRxMvaFvN-a15TRGh2m9PT5lGYlufQUrezu06yLyGL2X93XZcoFjtRbQ20HbROqrQxFWSsTBxfzJNU0kEZ5zThiO41lfV7GYqHhAaLCUtrjQ/s1600/zoes+birds+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEU-Dsge4mLw00QYojN12Z81lwAdNfFJDRxMvaFvN-a15TRGh2m9PT5lGYlufQUrezu06yLyGL2X93XZcoFjtRbQ20HbROqrQxFWSsTBxfzJNU0kEZ5zThiO41lfV7GYqHhAaLCUtrjQ/s640/zoes+birds+2.jpg" width="470" /></a></div><br />What's especially mesmerizing about this tattoo is where it begins:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIE6e0OydhTuQyAWlMHL8l1K1mIAzuUel0AKd8neGfv0WrjHizVMIYk9Vrd07VYmxqSGoQ8Hs0ZGTLuLmM0DviOqqNCe-5nsm1bSitZfzycs1QYFH6NA1YLnGnBsDLiQ_mJhaYOMjkRM4/s1600/zoes+birds+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIE6e0OydhTuQyAWlMHL8l1K1mIAzuUel0AKd8neGfv0WrjHizVMIYk9Vrd07VYmxqSGoQ8Hs0ZGTLuLmM0DviOqqNCe-5nsm1bSitZfzycs1QYFH6NA1YLnGnBsDLiQ_mJhaYOMjkRM4/s400/zoes+birds+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Starting in the middle of her back, this flock of birds lifts up off of her flesh, and flies over her shoulder.<br /><br />So from where did the inspiration for this tattoo come? Zoe explains:<br /><blockquote>"I stole the color combination and the silhouetted birds from my favorite album [<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deja_Entendu">Deja Entendu</a></i> by <a href="http://www.fightoffyourdemons.com/">Brand New</a>].<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjsH1DyM-zaYdmvJAGNcIG6-ejxm_KC9pLXib9pJfqFrPfu3wM5cYPlgM7d2Nj34aj47_hKjK94JyZkFOgG-NeSFm_9A4rcxc48utH2sROKskVMgukgXNZg8PClgRVAyUVT3feQh7uY8/s1600/art7.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjsH1DyM-zaYdmvJAGNcIG6-ejxm_KC9pLXib9pJfqFrPfu3wM5cYPlgM7d2Nj34aj47_hKjK94JyZkFOgG-NeSFm_9A4rcxc48utH2sROKskVMgukgXNZg8PClgRVAyUVT3feQh7uY8/s400/art7.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br />I went in [to <a href="http://namebrandtattoo.com/home.html">Name Brand Tattoo</a> in Ann Arbor, Michigan] and gave [tattoo artist <a href="http://dawncooke.net/home.html">Dawn Cooke</a>] the music and said this is why ... it helped me get through a really bad point in my life. I told her what I wanted and she figured out the placement on my body. I originally wanted it straight across my back, but she worked with my body to get it on there ... after three hours of tattooing, I asked her if she put coloring in and she did. It's all free-hand."</blockquote><br />The tattoo took four hours in all to complete, and Zoe had nothing but praise for the artist and the shop. Name Brand, she said, "is great, super-relaxed ... they weren't judgmental [and] tend to have people with art degrees, which is really interesting." Artist Dawn Cook has moved, however, and now tattoos out of <a href="http://depottowntattoo.com/home.html">Depot Town Tattoo</a>, in Traverse City, Michigan.<br /><br />Thanks to Zoe for sharing her amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />Asa an added treat, here's a track from Brand New, from the album that helped inspire this body art:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aMJIc9USE2U" width="480"></iframe><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">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.</span>

Zoe's Birds, Aloft

I met Zoe a couple weeks ago when I spotted an incredible bird tattoo creeping up over her shoulder: What's especially mesmerizing about...

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Best Week Ever: Tattoosday Edition

The last seven days have been quite a whirlwind, and I felt it is worth a recap, just because I can't believe what happened since last Saturday.<br /><br />A week ago, I had my best trip to the <a href="http://www.nyctattooconvention.com/">New York Tattoo Convention</a>, saw a lot of great ink, reconnected with old blogging friends, and met a lot of cool people. All my posts since Sunday (with the exception of Friday) recapped the show and some of the folks I met.<br /><br />On Wednesday, I swung by <a href="http://kingsavenuetattoo.com/">Kings Ave NYC</a> on the Bowery after work and met one of the greats in the tattoo community, <a href="http://www.sixfeetunder.com/">Corey Miller</a>. When I asked him if it would be too dorky to ask to take a picture with him, he said, "Of course, it's dorky, but I love that shit." Do I look just a little bit excited?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAA8_1Z9Z-2JdRx6dNpwj-ir7OQa7Fgp0_I6iuF0fGeaTn1ID2obgQytl_4jhXTH3UAlaI5FzwVZkRzHuL093Zj8Zn8gbxsTxAyW5DlVhnocAV33AWvELpOm3DSlZhcELFADbsFxKc5Z8/s1600/Corey+and+Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAA8_1Z9Z-2JdRx6dNpwj-ir7OQa7Fgp0_I6iuF0fGeaTn1ID2obgQytl_4jhXTH3UAlaI5FzwVZkRzHuL093Zj8Zn8gbxsTxAyW5DlVhnocAV33AWvELpOm3DSlZhcELFADbsFxKc5Z8/s400/Corey+and+Me.jpg" width="373" /></a></div><br />For those of you who watch <a href="http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/la-ink">L.A. Ink</a>, last season we saw a subplot in an episode in which Corey designed the album art for his friend <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trever_Keith">Trever Kieth's</a> band <a href="http://www.facetofacemusic.com/">Face to Face</a>.<br /><br />As it happened, this past week the album dropped, and Face to Face had a gig in Times Square. Corey came along for the ride, and joined the band at Kings Avenue NYC to sign posters, singles, magazines, and other goodies.<br /><br />Corey and the band signed the poster featuring the original album artwork<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnV_f1oGCpsGkNirrqH8emVpdrN08envHT2YyPtC4K-TEbRChyixyldNbXgklZec478MM1GVsiW5fDS4ggSsRfy2fZ5Uw1uPqUUQhSx49a4cyImjFdjDROyrUK2DURm05DRjcHW1xEoF0/s1600/Face+to+Face+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnV_f1oGCpsGkNirrqH8emVpdrN08envHT2YyPtC4K-TEbRChyixyldNbXgklZec478MM1GVsiW5fDS4ggSsRfy2fZ5Uw1uPqUUQhSx49a4cyImjFdjDROyrUK2DURm05DRjcHW1xEoF0/s400/Face+to+Face+Poster.jpg" width="328" /></a></div><br /><br />and the single they produced with <a href="http://www.riseagainst.com/events/">Rise Against</a>:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNGW3rD4I-Sj5TKLECj5COS9zopQBxHP5iJUVTCNG3xMROoB9nP7Q7jeAvgDpbOng3ISGhS8HM0u1IxZrmQXqELULFbD1VO07VZHHtkVgP76LMkoGlr6n-0cJOxL28ntG_lG34oEU5Os/s1600/108_1101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNGW3rD4I-Sj5TKLECj5COS9zopQBxHP5iJUVTCNG3xMROoB9nP7Q7jeAvgDpbOng3ISGhS8HM0u1IxZrmQXqELULFbD1VO07VZHHtkVgP76LMkoGlr6n-0cJOxL28ntG_lG34oEU5Os/s320/108_1101.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />I'm not holding my breath, but I did give out Tattoosday cards to the guys in the band (and to Corey, of course) and asked them to contact me if they wanted to share some of their ink on a future Musician Monday feature. Fingers crossed!<br /><br />Here's a fan video from the show they did that night:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yEBRVTb6XVI" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />Unfortunately, I can't tell you much about how the week ended, but I can tell you I was on location Friday on the set of a local tattoo establishment that is home base for a new reality-based tattoo show on a cable channel. Now, I may or may not have received a new tattoo, but eventually I'll be able to tell you all about the experience.<br /><br />Incidentally, we are less than two weeks away from the premiere of TLC's <a href="http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/ny-ink">NY Ink</a> (June 2!) Can't wait to see it, as the show features <a href="http://www.ami-james.com/">Ami James</a>, formerly of <a href="http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/miami-ink/miami-ink.html">Miami Ink</a>, as well as amazing artists like <a href="http://www.saltwatertattoo.com/">Tim Hendricks</a>, <a href="http://www.lowridertattoostudios.com/?tag=tommy-montoya">Tommy Montoya</a>, and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Megan-Massacre/283960613976">Megan Massacre</a>.<br /><br /><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="288" id="dit-video-embed" scrolling="no" src="http://static.discoverymedia.com/videos/components/tlc/49db72f1581d668c0a98418116df180c89eafd5b/snag-it-player.html?auto=no" width="512"></iframe><br /><br />Oh, and I almost forgot! Congratulations to Michael Henry Lee, who won a t-shirt in our Kings Ave NYC contest! Your shirt is on its way!

Best Week Ever: Tattoosday Edition

The last seven days have been quite a whirlwind, and I felt it is worth a recap, just because I can't believe what happened since last S...

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The Tattooed Poets Project: Michael Henry Lee

Today's tattoo was submitted by Michael Henry Lee:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1I5L1h67leaBScB52BS1u4M1_8cgjNErtRPF7iC6WtR8mUoVVR6ED9ET4nEZ3kabEZYYMLFFY1Q-ziPYa6yNK7OsAniYIo23f0-bQSzs7uUmjjDQ2WZM2jQj6ve4ILgxCXwgZFetyUhQ/s1600/michael+henry+lee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1I5L1h67leaBScB52BS1u4M1_8cgjNErtRPF7iC6WtR8mUoVVR6ED9ET4nEZ3kabEZYYMLFFY1Q-ziPYa6yNK7OsAniYIo23f0-bQSzs7uUmjjDQ2WZM2jQj6ve4ILgxCXwgZFetyUhQ/s400/michael+henry+lee.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Michael Henry Lee</td></tr></tbody></table>There's a lot going on here, so let's let Michael explain:<br /><br /><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"The work pictured began about 36 years ago in Kansas City, Mo. I only remember the artist's name as John. The piece started with the stylized exotic bird's head that John took credit for as his own. A few years later I found the same piece on the back of a <a href="http://www.mountainrockband.com/">Mountain</a> album cover. Imagine. Fast forward a couple of decades to a fantastic shop [<a href="http://soulexpressionstattoo.com/home.html">Soul Expressions Tattoo Studio</a>] in Temecula Ca. and an artist named <a href="http://soulexpressionstattoo.com/section/182964_Daniel_Adair.html">Dan Adair</a>. The sun and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_of_Judah">Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah</a> were added there. The sun was David's design and the Lion comes from the Ethiopian flag borrowed from a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Marley_%26_The_Wailers">Bob Marley</a> album. The conceptual idea was mine and is meant to be symbolic of the Christian trinity: Father (as the sun), the Son (as the Conquering Lion) and our old buddy the bird (as the holy spirit). The seven is symbolic of the biblical number of completion and is repeated three times. The piece was just retouched and colored last year in Saint Augustine, Florida, by Tattoo Mike from <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=9gG&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=tattoo+garden+st+augustine+fl&fb=1&gl=us&hq=tattoo+garden&hnear=St+Augustine,+FL&cid=570080614392525222">Tattoo Garden</a>."</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></div></blockquote>Michael also offered up several short poems, including some haiku:<br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"tattoo impressions"</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">    van goes home </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><b><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">stepping out in a starry night    </span></b><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">(</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">first appeared in graffiti kolkata Aug 2010)</span></b><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">~ </span></b></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">tattoo garden</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> the blush returns</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> to mother's rose</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">~</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What Love’s Got to do with It</span></u><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It was rumored of late</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">that Love;</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">is suffering from a stolen identity</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Eros has hacked into Agape</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">like the evil twin exchanged at birth;</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">     Ying for Yang</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">           The Pauper for the Prince</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">                    Cain for Abel</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The imposter has taken control</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">using seduction and guile</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">to manipulate the hearts and minds </span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">of whoever might be deceived</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Love’s calling all investors</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Setting the record straight</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Distancing itself from a nefarious sibling</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Love does not </span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">          sell cars, clothes, food, or personal hygiene products</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Love knows</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">          the grass isn’t greener in the next field,</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">          and besides brown is highly underrated anyway</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Love always makes deposits</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">          but not withdrawals</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Love is patient as water</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">          smoothing stone           </span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Love knows the worst</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">          but hopes for the best</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Love bites its tongue and swallows its pride</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Love looks at the heart</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">          not: boobs, biceps, or bank accounts</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Love is the first one into a burning building </span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">          an the last one off a sinking ship</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Love builds </span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">         Marriages</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">             Families</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">                  and  Nations </span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">                                                            </span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Love is an invisible necessity</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">         like  time, gravity, and oxygen</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Love is beyond time and space</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Eternal</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Unconditional</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">                          a</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">                         gift</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">                    a promise</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">            one poured out for all  </span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">                     that they</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">                       might</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">                        know</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">                         that</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">                         God</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">                           is</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">                           L</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">                           O</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">                           V</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bodoni MT","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">                           E</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">"What Love's Got to do with It" first appeared in <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heart-Pour-The-Love-Book/195634107114411?sk=wall">Heart Pour The Love Book</a> from <a href="http://poetplant.blogspot.com/">Poet Plant Press</a>, 2011</span></b></span></i></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: navy; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">~</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Michael Henry Lee is a husband, father and grandfather. He and his wife of 30 years reside in St. Augustine, Florida; the nation’s oldest city, along with two cats, and numerous bonsai trees.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Michael is a member of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ancient-City-Poets/279133290875?sk=wall">Ancient City Poets</a> and the <a href="http://www.hsa-haiku.org/">Haiku Society of America</a>. The last Sunday of every month generally finds him at the Heart Pour Matinee; an open mic poetry reading that features seasoned artists as well as new talents. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Mr. Lee serves as contributing co-editor for Poet Plant Press, and is a frequent contributor to <a href="http://haikunews.org/">Haiku News</a>, and Haiku Ramblings. His work has appeared in <a href="http://cobaltcrowproductions.blogspot.com/">Berry Blue Haiku</a>, and <a href="http://www.graffitikolkata.com/home.htm">Graffiti Kolkata</a> He was voted among the favorites in the 2009 <i>Alibi Weekly</i> annual haiku contest, and was awarded third place prize in the Yukei Teikei Annual Tokutomi Haiku Contest for 2010.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Mr. Lee is quoted as saying “my objective is to express the good news and mystery of life in every breath, through the simplicity of haiku”.</div><br />Thanks to Michael Henry Lee for sharing his tattoo and his work with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. The poems are reprinted here with the permission of the author.<br /><br />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 <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a> 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.</span></div>

The Tattooed Poets Project: Michael Henry Lee

Today's tattoo was submitted by Michael Henry Lee: Photo courtesy of Michael Henry Lee There's a lot going on here, so let's let...

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Two Rocking Tattoos from Joe

I met Joe last month outside of Penn Station and he shared two tattoos with us.<br /><br />First is this hellcat:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZ6yupOY6rur7n-xAWAT1xPSN6FcjLm64fFGEYjIAVKfXB5j-8OrmJQIl9Zh4fVS2rAoXQwnNq2ZtPpfwod0pfuX9RqS4FHZK88PiqIOCnLJEVtI5_fe4WgcYyy-iykeV93VcaICF/s1600/hellcat+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZ6yupOY6rur7n-xAWAT1xPSN6FcjLm64fFGEYjIAVKfXB5j-8OrmJQIl9Zh4fVS2rAoXQwnNq2ZtPpfwod0pfuX9RqS4FHZK88PiqIOCnLJEVtI5_fe4WgcYyy-iykeV93VcaICF/s320/hellcat+wm.jpg" /></a></div><br />Why this cat? It's a design, Joe says, inspired by the band <a href="http://www.rancidrancid.com/">Rancid</a>, whose music appears on <a href="http://www.hell-cat.com/">Hellcat Records</a>. <br /><br />Not to mention, he likes cats. Need he have more reasons? That's on his upper left arm.<br /><br />I'm more excited to share this photo, which actually is a rare Tattoosday shot in which one can see the contributor's face. I could have cropped it out, but I think it's a cool shot.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IWxjKtstBtkWjLLf4fs9eFrl80s071sDJrfCXa61dNIJxHmNpS3R3LErGlpJd_c5pFqlNiz8aX4JJA_XnxMaTWwk4aQBNA60ir2jiBydhblzRlGDPp0D8Uljc2zQBvOExyZG5Jfs/s1600/joe+isa+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IWxjKtstBtkWjLLf4fs9eFrl80s071sDJrfCXa61dNIJxHmNpS3R3LErGlpJd_c5pFqlNiz8aX4JJA_XnxMaTWwk4aQBNA60ir2jiBydhblzRlGDPp0D8Uljc2zQBvOExyZG5Jfs/s400/joe+isa+wm.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />This tattoo arose out of Joe's desire to have some body art made with red ink. The design is based on the album art for a disbanded musical act out of Washington called <a href="http://www.myspace.com/isa">Isa</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnQeVV25VNGQR0iHBeCw511XaTkCZL7iJqqig9m1eoC_ZPut_CfvPmuUlWyANLtwXbp9oylOKSV6b2X7B1mYxo1LRgf6We84qhLEjf2h9_dKY99R_xMzuPUFnOcGy9P3_YGva7wjY/s1600/joe+isa+detail+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnQeVV25VNGQR0iHBeCw511XaTkCZL7iJqqig9m1eoC_ZPut_CfvPmuUlWyANLtwXbp9oylOKSV6b2X7B1mYxo1LRgf6We84qhLEjf2h9_dKY99R_xMzuPUFnOcGy9P3_YGva7wjY/s640/joe+isa+detail+wm.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br />The two tattoos are among five Joe has in total and were done by <a href="http://www.tattooroyale.com/milton.html">Milton Sillas</a> at <a href="http://www.tattooroyale.com/">Tattoo Royale</a> in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Beach,_San_Diego,_California">Pacific Beach</a> section of  San Diego, California.<br /><br />Thanks to Joe for sharing his ink with us here on Tattoosday and for waiting so patiently for me to get to his tattoos. The summer backlog is both a bane and a blessing.<br /><br />As a postscript, readers familiar with the site will notice that I've watermarked these photos. I've grown tired of seeing Tattoosday content appropriated elsewhere on the web, without attribution. This is an attempt to maintain credit of our content here at Tattoosday.

Two Rocking Tattoos from Joe

I met Joe last month outside of Penn Station and he shared two tattoos with us. First is this hellcat: Why this cat? It's a design, Joe ...

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