The Tattooed Poets Project: Claire Nelson

Well, dear readers, I've been waiting to post this next tattoo for over a year, ever since <a href="http://www.doriannelaux.com/">Dorianne Laux</a> posted it on her Facebook wall last April and directed me to it. This amazing tattoo belongs to Claire Nelson. Behold:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNKq3CUzXtV3UrBMocVsWEGCX-oMvDx7kzAd5X3_Fcwt0OfemRN5kB-hNtxd32jA35_hj9pVgSMRXpjeO0Ubp5EqcqYASm0uaSmrQYmhyPOhey1kIPGUirPHWiiLuq_JDlPrvhDUcQpw/s1600/typewriter+artist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNKq3CUzXtV3UrBMocVsWEGCX-oMvDx7kzAd5X3_Fcwt0OfemRN5kB-hNtxd32jA35_hj9pVgSMRXpjeO0Ubp5EqcqYASm0uaSmrQYmhyPOhey1kIPGUirPHWiiLuq_JDlPrvhDUcQpw/s640/typewriter+artist.jpg" width="520" /></a></div><br />This photo was taken shortly after the tattoo was done by artist <a href="http://laughinghyena.wordpress.com/">Ron Henry Wells</a>, who graciously allowed me to copy it from his site and reprint it here. He noted that he "used a antique typewriter that [he owns] as reference". He was also swift to point out that the picture's not that great, as the curve of Claire's thigh makes the tattoo look a little warped, but he swears it is straight. I would beg to differ, as the photo really captures the beauty of the tattoo and the wonderful artifice of the tattooist.<br /><br />Claire sent me a newer photo for a slightly different perspective:<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span data-jsid="text"> </span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZwL7pfXdD_N3yhdtYT4_2AqzQ2DGjycf7A9nzIktWQHVDduJWqOVrAYzo5ryHCKSXbK79aA5ox3m89aZqwByEnkxKmpQadqlQWrairL01G0Rj0EnmBcELGVdl5yA28GLiValxXJkCHE/s1600/typewriter+poet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZwL7pfXdD_N3yhdtYT4_2AqzQ2DGjycf7A9nzIktWQHVDduJWqOVrAYzo5ryHCKSXbK79aA5ox3m89aZqwByEnkxKmpQadqlQWrairL01G0Rj0EnmBcELGVdl5yA28GLiValxXJkCHE/s400/typewriter+poet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Claire explains this incredible tattoo:<br /><blockquote>"I love writing, tattoos and typewriters. When I met with <a href="http://laughinghyena.wordpress.com/">Ron</a> at <a href="http://www.anonymoustattoo.com/">Anonymous Tattoo</a> in Savannah, Georgia, he seemed as psyched about doing my tattoo as I was about getting it. Ron asked a few simple questions. “How do you feel about birds?” I felt good. “Flowers?” I also had positive feelings about flowers. And then, we were off. Two sessions and some intense pain later, I came out with this amazing tattoo. Writing will always be part of my life, and now so will this tattoo."</blockquote>Claire also shared this poem: </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><br /><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><strong>Kazoo Serenade</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />The last nice thing you said to me</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Your breath smells<br />like vodka,” </i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">as I hummed at you</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">through a kazoo. <br />It was an</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">original composition;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">maybe not</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">technically</span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> perfect—</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I wasn’t concerned </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">with mechanics.<br />Who needs rules</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">when there are kazoos in the world? <br /><br />I did an accompanying jig</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">on a cracked patch</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">of sidewalk.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Why is cement </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">always damp<br />on summer nights? It made such a </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">satisfying smack </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">against my bare-feet,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">cool and wet,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">like the familiar kiss</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">of a person I rarely see.<br /><br />I could have danced circles around you</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">all night </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">until we were both too dizzy to know</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">melody from moment,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">beauty from spit and plastic. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Instead, I unbuttoned <br />the pocket</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">on your shirt, and slipped the kazoo inside.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I don’t need retrospect</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">to tell me</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">you don’t deserve </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">a kazoo serenade. Oh I wish</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">it was about deserve</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">and not desire. </span></div></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal">~ ~ ~</div><div class="MsoNormal">Claire Nelson is a senior Dramatic Writing major at Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. After graduation Claire will be moving to Tallahassee to pursue her M.F.A. in poetry at Florida State University. </div><br /><br />As for Ron, he is currently working out of the Boston area, but occasionally is a guest artist at <a href="http://www.threekingstattoo.com/site/">Three Kings Tattoo</a> in Brooklyn.<br /><br />Thanks to Claire for sharing one of the best tattoos we have seen in this year's Tattooed Poets Project, and for sharing her poetry as well, here on Tattoosday.<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. The poem is reprinted here with the permission of the author.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><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 </span><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 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><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>

The Tattooed Poets Project: Claire Nelson

Well, dear readers, I've been waiting to post this next tattoo for over a year, ever since Dorianne Laux posted it on her Facebook wall...

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