The Tattoo Tale

Blog Post Entry – Monica Rae

-May 1st, 2020-

We’ve heard the saying, “A picture’s worth a thousand words.”

But what are words worth?

Are they worth more in a book than in a blog? Are they more significant if they are said by a preacher or drawn on an arm by a tattoo artist?

As a writer, it is no surprise I enjoy words. It is also probably not a surprise that I’ve worked in a library and bookstore and that my collection of books could fill more moving boxes than my clothes or cooking supplies. And while my favorite ‘word tool’ is a thesaurus, I’m not a good speller and the study of languages and grammar kind of bores me. So, what is it about ‘words’ that appeals to me?

Simple: the inspiration behind them.

It’s the way the beauty of an image increases when you know the pain of the artist or the words that reveal the ‘ugly’ that seeps from a seemingly gorgeous person.

In a previous blog post I mentioned ‘new things’ I’m doing as I slide down the hill of middle age. Pre-quarantine I had planned for a tattoo appointment. Since it’s delayed until it’s ‘safer’ for a tattoo gun to pierce my skin with words that will lay permanent against my aging body—it got me thinking.

Why do I want a tattoo?

So, naturally, I googled the history of tattooing and discovered the stories that shape this form of art.

Did you know that tattoo forms have been discovered on bodies over 5,000 years old?

I knew body tattooing was used in ancient cultures for decoration and societal significance. What surprised me was it was also used to mark women who were shamed and criminals who were being transported. The Samoa culture still passes down tattooing tools from father to son to be used in a ceremonial fashion to mark the passage of maturity.

By the beginning of the 20th century, most European and American tattooing was found on circus and show performers, sailors and pirates to signify their ‘belonging,’ like the tagging of a Los Angeles gang member. Tattoos were thought of as taboo in American culture for decades, but world wars, civil rights and women’s liberation has led to a change in the cultural perception of art and expression.

All that information may have caused you to nod off a bit—is this a blog or a history lesson?

While I spent a few hours reading about mummies covered in ink made from breast milk and the fact that the 19th century tattoo pen was created by Thomas Edison I still could not find an answer to my question.

Why do I want to feel the painful penetration of a needle on my pale, Irish skin?

I honestly don’t have an answer other than:

I want to.

Whether you are receiving a branding from the Hell’s Angels Biker Club or observing the loss of your beloved dog with a paw print on your backside a tattoo is a story of permanence…evidenced by a moment of inspiration.

And while life is full of these moments, inspiration requires change and only time reveals our truths.

I know this now. I didn’t then.

In my 20’s, emotion drove my reactions. Men were either jerks or saints, older people just didn’t understand, and employment needed to fill my bank account and my purpose for living. I was a product of my generation and my age, driven by passion and hormones. I hit my 30’s, gained 20lbs and replaced expectations for rigid rules that I couldn’t live up to. More like a ‘milestone to do list’ of sorts—I seemed disappointed at what wasn’t more than pleased with what I had.

I became a middle-aged child as I began the quest to find the story behind all my words…

With every Facebook post there is a range of opinions from the smiley face or heart to the long-winded comment from the acquaintance that you ‘friended’ out of guilt or curiosity. As we stare at a painting on a wall, watch a Netflix series a friend recommended or read a blog post some middle aged woman on the prairie wrote from her favorite cozy chair there are sentiments and observations we form based on two things: what we know and what inspires us.

We are looking for the meaning, for the story—the inspiration that gets us off the couch, moves us to vulnerability, drives us to get a tattoo!

Currently, I’m inspired by texts from friends I can not see, planting a half a dozen succulents in anticipation of Spring garden chores, the Starz series Outlander and Mike Rowe.

Yes.

Mike Rowe!

I’m a big fan of his voice whether he is narrating Dirty Jobs or Deadliest Catch episodes, sharing his latest podcast or blessing unexpected individuals on his Facebook show. Much like the actor and narrator Morgan Freeman, Mike Rowe’s voice is in my head even when the screen is off. These story tellers breathe life into words – their voices like smooth cinnamon butter on freshly baked bread.

The passage of time alters my perception just as the latest Pinterest post create a new idea and yet, there is one truth that remains. An undeniable reality that no story or passage of time can erase.

I know it now—

The reason why I want a tattoo.

I want to feel the pain of the piercing into my skin the truth that will never change, the certainty I will carry with me in every season…the three words that could summarize this blog post…

The significance of body branding in our modern American culture goes beyond pain—it captures a moment of time. Years may cause the ink to sag and regrets to set in, but the story remains.

Our inspirations wax and wane like the seasons and change only exists because of time.

I know what my tattoo will be…words of course, written in lower case…branding a truth that only time has revealed and can never erase.

…It’s all grace…

A picture is worth a thousand words

A thousand words are found in this blog (ok, it’s actually 1,053)

A tattoo will be my ‘picture story’—a true tale of the gift, the abundant grace that surrounds me.