The Tattooed Poets Project: Linda Ashok

As the span of time that marks the astrological sign Pisces comes to a close, Linda Ashok, our next tattooed poet, seemed like a fitting contributor, considering her work:

This tattoo is located on the nape of her neck, I'll let Linda elaborate:

"These are two nishikigoi depicting my Piscean zodiac. For me the design symbolizes the yin and yang, decision and indecision, joy and depression and other extreme characteristics of my personality. Come what may, I want to ensure that my poetry (Japanese Kanji ‘shi’) is safe and thus placed it at the centre of my guardian zodiac. Culturally, this tattoo is a tribute to Japan being such a closed culture of myth, science, fantasy and resilience. It is the Mushin.

My father is an artist. So, besides poetry, I paint as well and therefore it was easy for me to visually depict/design the tattoo the way my mind worded it. I thank Kishore Sanduptla of Get Inked Tattoo Studio in Hyderabad [India] who inked it desirably."

Linda sent us this poem:

DATED 9TH MARCH

when we try to forget something, we forget
as much of ourselves

when a tree tries to forget her snow
it forgets lessons learnt in snow
although
this soft dismissal does not bleed much

but the blue waits till someone opens the wooden hurt

natural light is mature. it doesn't name objects
the way we read letters from our daily alphabet
the way we strike off some... from our lives when we

do not mean any more business

without forgetting as much of myself
and also to not remember you
is like slipping into the mouth of a jubilant shark

~ ~ ~

Linda Ashok's poems appeared on the blog of Murphy Institute- CUNY, Poetry Kanto, Hark Magazine, The Lake, Visual Verse, Haiku News, The Linnet's Wings, Thumbprint Magazine, Bones Journal, Shot Glass Journal, etc. Her works are forthcoming in AXOLOTL and Friends Journal. Linda is the Founder & Managing Trustee of RædLeaf Foundation for Poetry & Allied Arts.

Thanks to Linda for her contribution to the Tattooed Poets Project on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2015 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission.

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