Cute Tattoo Designs: Brass Knuckles

I always like to finish up the Tattooed Poets Project on a strong note, so today's tattooed poet, the last of this year's series, is the heavily-tattooed poet Debbie Kirk.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSIxb_jiKgjK4VkAneMO7Eu7HEQbnj1DMYLTbbiz0VUtw80FknJWJi6CDE2LG9aX89WP75fTkfEKNqWPqF41E2b_0cJxTTjpR1936XKf8n4e8CZyYG9-Hh89TrtcziTsehnZroCwbge2g/s1600/Debbie+Kirk+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSIxb_jiKgjK4VkAneMO7Eu7HEQbnj1DMYLTbbiz0VUtw80FknJWJi6CDE2LG9aX89WP75fTkfEKNqWPqF41E2b_0cJxTTjpR1936XKf8n4e8CZyYG9-Hh89TrtcziTsehnZroCwbge2g/s400/Debbie+Kirk+photo.jpg" width="341" /></a></div><br />It also happens to be Debbie's birthday today, as we check out one of her tattoos. More specifically, let's look at the top of her left arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuldFBr1R_NbHfQtEZ_wTCTrkn8SOZv6v-eyLzNpKQZ-0BXphW-gAIpRYnbJAuKkOkfzzNV0fNQ0kekCePeLeLg11xNyIxV181EddniLJEa0l2R0nyZ8e9XqJDsJ63fka3pyWt8uxqXgE/s1600/better+elders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuldFBr1R_NbHfQtEZ_wTCTrkn8SOZv6v-eyLzNpKQZ-0BXphW-gAIpRYnbJAuKkOkfzzNV0fNQ0kekCePeLeLg11xNyIxV181EddniLJEa0l2R0nyZ8e9XqJDsJ63fka3pyWt8uxqXgE/s400/better+elders.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><br />This piece, complete with straight razor, brass knuckles and cherry bomb, bears a banner that proclaims "Bow to your elders, you Emo Fucks."<br /><br />I mean, what more can I say about <u>that</u>? <br /><br />In discussing which tattoo of Debbie's to use, this exchange took place:<br /><br />Tattoosday: "I hesitate to use the emo one because of the language and because I'm  sure people will not understand why you would get it, but that makes me  want to use it more".<br /><br />Debbie: "its a favorite with peeps...it has been declared the sexiest tattoo ever..."<br /><br />Tattoosday: "I love tattoos but they are generally so benign nowadays, so it's nice to see one with a true fuck-all attitude."<br /><br />Debbie: "Yeah, that defines me what you said right there....and why I got the tattoo. I think that single tattoo is the most ME. I can be a bit honest...which is why people like my poetry."<br /><br />Where'd she get the tattoo? Debbie recalls " I just remember I got it in Venice 5 years ago from a girl who proposed to me when I told her my idea...I still tell that story. I KNEW it was good with that reaction and she was hot."<br />  <br />Debbie gave us several poems to choose from, and the one we selected, she says, is very representative of her work:<br /><br />  <br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>Little Frankenstein girl</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">  </div><div class="MsoNormal">Little Frankenstein girl</div><div class="MsoNormal">has the hands of a pianist</div><div class="MsoNormal">And the heart of a broken organ</div><div class="MsoNormal">With thorns, glass</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bats and Indian ink </div><div class="MsoNormal">Seeping thro…</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sewn together</div><div class="MsoNormal">Crookedly stitched </div><div class="MsoNormal">Like a pastel valentine heart</div><div class="MsoNormal">Filled with mismatched parts</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Little Frankenstein girl</div><div class="MsoNormal">Has the right brain of a killer</div><div class="MsoNormal">Her right hand is dominant</div><div class="MsoNormal">While her left foot always faces away</div><div class="MsoNormal">Wanting to disconnect</div><div class="MsoNormal">To run</div><div class="MsoNormal">To be free</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">To not be part of this </div><div class="MsoNormal">Fucked up experiment</div><div class="MsoNormal">Dreamt up by </div><div class="MsoNormal">A genius dressed in rags</div><div class="MsoNormal">And chased by demons</div><div class="MsoNormal">The kind that really scratch and bite</div><div class="MsoNormal">When you are fast asleep</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Little Frankenstein girl</div><div class="MsoNormal">Is not a little girl anymore</div><div class="MsoNormal">The curls in her hair</div><div class="MsoNormal">Dreaded up in the sun</div><div class="MsoNormal">Medusa in the wind</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Her loud strong voice</div><div class="MsoNormal">Muffled under the stitches</div><div class="MsoNormal">That firmly binds her lips together</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bondage bringing pleasure</div><div class="MsoNormal">Only to those who wish </div><div class="MsoNormal">To keep her silent</div><div class="MsoNormal">(and they are many)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The little Frankenstein girl</div><div class="MsoNormal">Can’t count the stitches on her wrists</div><div class="MsoNormal">From all of those nights</div><div class="MsoNormal">With her right hand doing </div><div class="MsoNormal">What her left foot </div><div class="MsoNormal">Wanted to walk away from</div><div class="MsoNormal">And her not understanding</div><div class="MsoNormal">That she was never really alive</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the first place</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Little Frankenstein girl</div><div class="MsoNormal">All mixed up </div><div class="MsoNormal">And</div><div class="MsoNormal">Mix matched</div><div class="MsoNormal">Returning every evening</div><div class="MsoNormal">With fresh wounds to be sewn</div><div class="MsoNormal">From another vain attempt</div><div class="MsoNormal">To be mortal for just a few seconds</div><div class="MsoNormal">Before the fall</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Little Frankenstein girl</div><div class="MsoNormal">Stolen parts</div><div class="MsoNormal">Come with stolen lies</div><div class="MsoNormal">Maggots and flies.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The gravedigger, looking to make a buck</div><div class="MsoNormal">Steals her a kiss</div><div class="MsoNormal">The moistness quenches her lips</div><div class="MsoNormal">He promises more kisses tomorrow</div><div class="MsoNormal">She scurries home</div><div class="MsoNormal">Knowing full well</div><div class="MsoNormal">She’s damned to a life of stolen kisses</div><div class="MsoNormal">And malfunctioning hearts</div><div class="MsoNormal">that spit in the moonlight.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">~ ~ ~</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> </div><div><a href="http://tntkirk.com/">Debbie Kirk</a> has published 6 chapbooks and been in 12 anthologies  and hundreds of print and online zines. She lives in Santa Cruz with  her dog Dr. Gonzo.  She has a website she rarely updates at <a href="http://tntkirk.com/" target="_blank">tntkirk.com</a> but she can be best located lurking around Facebook!  Also check out <a href="http://tntkirk.com/">http://tntkirk.com/</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks to Debbie for sharing her tattoo and poetry with us here as we close out the Tattooed Poets Project on Tattoosday. Also, we wish her a very happy birthday today!</div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div>  <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. The poem is 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 </span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</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></div><span><span><a href="http://dope.tntkirk.com/" target="_blank"></a></span></span>

The Tattooed Poets Project: Debbie Kirk

I always like to finish up the Tattooed Poets Project on a strong note, so today's tattooed poet, the last of this year's series, is...

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I met a trio of friends hanging out in Penn Station in early October, waiting for their train back to Rhode Island.<br /><br />I spotted Darius first, which was understandable, as he has seventeen  tattoos. Kenny and Katie, his friends, each boasted a modest three  tattoos apiece, and offered up theirs as well.<br /><br />Let's start with Darius, who has this traditional Mom and Sparrow tattoo on his forearm:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvOHtDccpoMlHfX4HeO8UcRkvMbndT_GB25Zw6hfuzm-qa3OG8ggtXEGehjsPX9Jki-zY0tmtEROeO2m9E9B9Kq9_KHSf8M6vueSfqwXXk03SF0OS6rr9i4jqtS7C9FZuCXknzjqQEfg/s1600/Mom+Sparrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvOHtDccpoMlHfX4HeO8UcRkvMbndT_GB25Zw6hfuzm-qa3OG8ggtXEGehjsPX9Jki-zY0tmtEROeO2m9E9B9Kq9_KHSf8M6vueSfqwXXk03SF0OS6rr9i4jqtS7C9FZuCXknzjqQEfg/s640/Mom+Sparrow.jpg" width="434" /></a></div><br />He said that he and two other friends got the same tattoo.<br /><br />This was done by <a href="http://whiskeynotwater.com/home.html">Jae Audette</a> at <a href="http://mcinnistattoo.com/home.html">Mcinnis Tattoo Company</a>  in Providence, Rhode Island. Work from the shop appeared previously on the site <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Mcinnis%20Tattoo%20Company">here</a>.<br /><br />The other tattoo, on his bicep, is this set of brass knuckles that says "Knuckle Up":<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipE7rFmTHhlJnDBwfxiML-0r_A_Azi8HSJkuSu74fszji5ou1Qx9GniaPhT0j0hYuQ7u7X1n0vurUnK6hGP8Kzv25dpNtXX8j3z63-RG3tK0DvhcDjVHQOvMfhNNUUbQ3JBIDMXQZ4Kzs/s1600/knuckle+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipE7rFmTHhlJnDBwfxiML-0r_A_Azi8HSJkuSu74fszji5ou1Qx9GniaPhT0j0hYuQ7u7X1n0vurUnK6hGP8Kzv25dpNtXX8j3z63-RG3tK0DvhcDjVHQOvMfhNNUUbQ3JBIDMXQZ4Kzs/s400/knuckle+up.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This was done by <a href="http://www.alteredimagestattoo.net/forrest.aspx">Forrest Curl</a> at <a href="http://www.alteredimagestattoo.net/">Altered Images Tattoo Studio</a> in Cumberland, Rhode Island.<br /><br />Also from Altered Images is this still-in-progress rib piece on Kenny:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopSyD1d-E6Xiwgl49_yo24WW_g2EFKXeQ3nR9giK-lFMRvOGg5UqV1hBMy1B2ucufSVyUYcUC9Cx2pcP5PQEtNifw-ERSLPTpz8J8mmnKpu3hcyVc-9S1VCGQRpQ9NQ4ZyxCNWfKbWvM/s1600/Crimson+King.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopSyD1d-E6Xiwgl49_yo24WW_g2EFKXeQ3nR9giK-lFMRvOGg5UqV1hBMy1B2ucufSVyUYcUC9Cx2pcP5PQEtNifw-ERSLPTpz8J8mmnKpu3hcyVc-9S1VCGQRpQ9NQ4ZyxCNWfKbWvM/s640/Crimson+King.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />This is a depiction of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_King">The Crimson King</a> from <a href="http://www.stephenking.com/index.html">Stephen King's</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Tower_%28series%29">Dark Tower Series</a>. As you would imagine, Kenny is a huge fan.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.alteredimagestattoo.net/rob.aspx">Rob Young</a> is the artist who is working on this piece.<br /><br />Katie then generously offered to show me her tattoo, which runs down her spine:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUUx0OE6Qnn1rJnY2nSf8qsq-0PBFBk-6eQpsmQ1Lu1QjWjV0t9z7BTM-8SeIwRi59UJLBQqe0nyMsR0G0UeFPgh3yMzyq3C2jT7D36-onpmF2cgu8m1DOeYZo8f0-xcxHs0EuRH5Kb4/s1600/Family+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUUx0OE6Qnn1rJnY2nSf8qsq-0PBFBk-6eQpsmQ1Lu1QjWjV0t9z7BTM-8SeIwRi59UJLBQqe0nyMsR0G0UeFPgh3yMzyq3C2jT7D36-onpmF2cgu8m1DOeYZo8f0-xcxHs0EuRH5Kb4/s640/Family+1.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><br />When I asked if she wouldn't mind sending me another photo, since the  tattoo was partially obscured by her bra strap, she didn't hesitate to  unhook it so I could photograph the whole tattoo, unobscured:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7TtDjKbLPEu6wVbeUj_w2mKoZ3Jjk4Gsx4l9-I7e8UMqj7Tf9qyE-_Z-3JwtfzDslHFu3UhKPUAgtehiWwl3HN-lvMo6cs23oK2phbRbS1STX9rCFGDH3MmSpOPonbNhghkabo_MQRI/s1600/Family+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7TtDjKbLPEu6wVbeUj_w2mKoZ3Jjk4Gsx4l9-I7e8UMqj7Tf9qyE-_Z-3JwtfzDslHFu3UhKPUAgtehiWwl3HN-lvMo6cs23oK2phbRbS1STX9rCFGDH3MmSpOPonbNhghkabo_MQRI/s640/Family+2.jpg" width="368" /></a></div><br />Katie explained that her heritage is Armenian, and that the letters down her spine spell the word for "family".<br /><br />She added that two of her cousins have the same tattoo, but inked on their arms.<br /><br />She also noted that the infinity symbol at the base of her neck speaks  to the Armenian text and symbolizes, for her, "family forever".<br /><br />She did not recall the name of the shop where she had this done, but  recalled it was on Long Island, New York, and that the artist was "Joey  D".<br /><br />Thanks to Darius, Kenny and Katie for sharing their tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Three's Not a Crowd

I met a trio of friends hanging out in Penn Station in early October, waiting for their train back to Rhode Island. I spotted Darius first, ...

Cute Tattoo Designs

The Tattooed Poets Project: Debbie Kirk

Three's Not a Crowd

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