I do not have a tattoo and doubt I ever shall. For a woman my age raised in my culture, tattoos are rebellious (the opposite of self-effacing). Even though the strong association with bad-boy behavior makes this juxtaposition all the more layered now that they’re in fashion across genders and age groups. The historical aversion for tattoos in the Christian Bible is doubled-down in the horrible practice of tattooing ID numbers on Jews during World War II for bookkeeping purposes in concentration camps… that it distressed their faith was just a bonus.
ln this current age, there is tattoo art and it is “interesting” to me. The idea of the mechanical fact of being inked isn’t the big deal; as a diabetic I get plenty of pokes just NOT at the rate or saturation of course. For me, it is the permanence of ink. Ironically. I write and produce books, each one is permanent unto itself, but I am free to reverse, relaunch, realize another vision.
The person pictured here is Brandon McMillan, an animal trainer and TV star with small ink visible when he wears his long shorts, or just below his T-shirt sleeve; there is no hint of the elaborate art he hosts on this right rib, shoulder, cage and hip. It may still be evolving. This is a beautiful presentation of imagery but I don’t “get” it, I can’t interpret what it means nor if I am supposed to do so. Personal hieroglyphics.
My book-making objective starts out the same, to “weave an image” that suits its own purpose and design, the writing is mine alone. I may never share it. Here the divide begins because the tattoo bearer cannot do the work alone. We just aren’t hinged that way. So that leap to collaborate is fundamental while I can (and do) bury entire manuscripts without note to others. The words aren’t lined up properly yet. Body ink may be applied in layers but it is not as flexible as a rough draft can be to the published “on display” imagery.
I wanted to acknowledge my respect for all the artists out there, decorating for their holidays, fashioning hand-made gifts or sharing recipes, making merry. Nobody knows how we can seem so different yet have to make the same decisions about the body we’re in, our family rank, our community purpose. Forging an identity is a tricky business, it can take longer than you expect (or deserve, really, given the statistical projection for your specifics).
What people regret as they age are often things left undone, and the underlying message is the waste of time, that precious tick-tock that says you can keep going, try something, do or be or create what you dream about as your legacy. Plant your stake in the river of humanity. You should not do what you do to get famous or rich, those paths can lead to misery… if they are granted to you, it is a bonus. Positive energy will come if you look for a sustainable life in which you are fed, clothed and safe enough to reach out to others through art and thought and love.
#readmore
Do What You Can to Do What You Do
It’s easy to give up, give in… give over. You age, you change some but not enough. There are obstacles, pitfalls and long dead zones that sap your will. Get over it!
The “struggle” is what defines us; it is a statement of will to change something, and a signal of purpose to maintain that change. We are headed for the outfall from social programs started generations ago that have altered our population and eroded our expectations of self-determination. This is a tough time for those who were suckered by that “everybody gets a prize just for participating” philosophy. You get a receipt, maybe a small plaque, because it is an accomplishment but you didn’t win. What misled our millennials was their overly-equalitarian post-Woodstock parents who couldn’t let kids be kids when they were much more valuable as a form of trophy. The idea that I could use “egalitarian” instead of “equalitarian” proves my point that simplifying language may enhance some conversations but why that is so makes it complicated.
We can’t yet grasp our purpose, or even if there is a purpose, so we can’t fairly assess the value of the players. We have to go on broad spectrum for this: winged, legged (two, four, more?), gills, wits. Through that lens it is obvious that humans are human: it’s pretty much a yes-no question. There are human characteristics, and variations therein, but there is no mixture of species. We have skin & bones that hint at sub-categories but pay attention: Human is human. Force yourself to think of somebody who looks the least like you in size, tint and hair yet know you are closer to them than any other species.
Drop the detail, get to the core. Human rights and dignity are battles to be waged against evil and laziness, both are killers. Stop the phantasmagorical distractions that halt your progress and commence assembling yourself.
There are many stages of life, not all of us are blessed to achieve even a competent period of accomplishment but those who do have mixed hard work and destiny. You only control some parts of this, and therein lies the humane crises when the “haves” and the “have-nots” need to share limited resources. Same so in the family dynamic, always with those subsets.
And, whoomp, there it is!
Joody
Stainless Mary
Post Dramatic Stress Disorder
Yet for a potentially heavy subject, the book has a peculiar lightness…
By Kirkus Reviews Mar 2013
A witty and wise read, especially for fans of tough-minded heroines.
By Kirkus Reviews Oct. 2012
Narrative Fiction
Long Story – Short Story
Adventures in Beach Town Towing
A comical, honest love story between two lost souls who complete each other.
By Kirkus Reviews Jan 2013
BABY GIRL BATTERSEA
It takes a hawk to watch a fox.
YOU, DRIVE NORTH
Accountant Missing.
Details at 11.
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