The Tattooed Poets Project: Kirsten Imani Kasai

As we enter into the final weekend of yet another successful month of tattooed poets, take a look at the back of Kirsten Imani Kasai:

Kirsten tells us:

"My work is three separate pieces. The first, on the back of my neck, is a Byzantine monogram of 'Mary,' for the Virgin Mary. I had this done in 1993 at Erno Tattoo in San Francisco.

The raven tree and stars were done by in 2011 and 2013. My friend Keith Greene, at Federation Ink in San Diego, did both based on some clip art paste-ups I brought him. The bird tattoo has a double meaning. I’m rather Poe-obsessed, and so here are the Raven and the Tell-Tale Heart. At least that’s what I tell strangers…for me, this piece recognizes a really dreadful, difficult year of loss, transition and heartbreak. (I wrote about it here. Additionally, I wrote the poem 'a murder of crows' about this imagery of the raven and the gift of a human heart, which was incorporated into the prose/poetry piece 'mice' published in the summer 2014 issue of the Existere Journal of Arts & Literature.)

The third tattoo is my 'mother line' and features blue and pink stars for my son and daughter. The dead or shadow stars represent pregnancies I've lost."

Kirsten sent us the following poem:

process aestivation

she had forgotten all of it

too long

had she lain sleeping

snow white

knew the apple tainted

bit deeply

seeking poison like nectar

sleeping beauty

summoned the spindle’s

narcotic draught

milk teeth madly grinning

blood beading on her finger

she swallowed

the magicked bread

despite the warnings

—never eat from fey hands—

let the fisherman

steal her selkie skin

to keep her from the deep

and salted sea

buried undreaming

apple rotting in her throat

blood clotting in her veins

watching

night’s noiseless apocalypse

descend

              awakened

                             she is ravenous

~ ~ ~

Kirsten Imani Kasai is the author of three novels: Ice Song, Tattoo and Private Pleasures; a short fiction/poetry collection Rhapsody in Snakeskin and a poetry chapbook The Atmospheric Mysteries of a Steaming Corpse. Kirsten is the co-founder and editor of Body Parts Magazine, a journal of provocative horror, spec fiction and erotica. She earned her MFA from Antioch University and lives in California with her family. Visit her online at www.IceSong.com and on Facebook here.

Some bonus footage includes this Google chat interview & reading with Pretty Owl Poetry:

Thanks to Kirsten for sharing her tattoos and poetry with us here on the Tattooed Poets Project!

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

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 http://tattoosday.blogspot.com 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.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Natasha Head

It's at this point of April, halfway through, when I realize I have too many poets and not enough days. So we're going to try and squeeze some extra poets in when we can.

That said, today's second poet hails from north of the border. Welcome Natasha Head, who sent me two tattoos.

Natasha tells us:

"Poetry...it has dictated my dreams and, it has dictated my tattoos. Add a sense of cheeseball and cherry blossoms, and the inspiration for my designs is a well that is endless.

I was 16 when I first went under the gun...many, many years ago, where I sacrificed my shoulder to the classic and predictable clawing, black panther. It was quick, painful, and the result of flash designs that covered the hole in the wall I had snuck into. They weren't incredibly vigilant in their ID checking.

The evolution of technology and the inevitable aging meant my designs were also able to evolve. Being introduced to an amazing artist didn't hurt either."

Natasha shared this piece:

Natasha adds:

"Erin Pettipas [from Erinink Tattoos in Halifax, Nova Scotia] has helped me realize my two favorite pieces I am sharing here today. A tiger, honoring my favorite poem by William Blake, is also the inspiration for the short poem I've included. And of course, The Raven, designed by Erin. What wannabe poet doesn't have a love for Poe's dark, classic tale?"

Natasha concludes:

"My canvas grows smaller with every new piece, but the desire for fresh ink is as addicting as that blank piece of paper just begging for a pen. The journey is far from over...and I've yet to find a better cover up for age spots."

Here's the aforementioned Blake-inspired poem:

My Tyger

Born in the year of the tiger,
branded by Blake while young.
In the forest of the night, self discovered rage, held in and contained.
No matter how I choose to disfigure this bag of bones,
skin as canvas, a story to tell.
Would you believe I've been through hell,
and still I've strength to sell.
It all comes back to the poetry...
did he who made the lamb make me?

~ ~ ~

Natasha Head is a Canadian Poet presently living & writing in Northern Ontario. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, received a Pushcart Prize nomination and has been featured as the Poem of the Day at the Academy of American Poets. She is presently completing her fourth collection and planning her next tattoo. Her books can be found on her author page on Amazon here. Visit her on Facebook here.
Her website is http://Tashtoo.com.

Thanks to Natasha for sharing her cool tattoos with us here on Tattoosday's Tattooed Poets Project!

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

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 http://tattoosday.blogspot.com 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.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Senia Hardwick

Our next tattooed poet is Senia Hardwick:

Senia explained that her "tattoo relates to a lot of similar themes and feelings to that of my work, though in and of itself it is not literary." She adds, "I tend to write poetry that explores the transmutation of feelings and experience into landscapes and vice versa."

She elaborated more:

"I got this done at [Dare] Devil Tattoo in SoHo. I had been wanting to get a tattoo of a raven for a while, and volunteered at a book store around the corner. I saw a handcrafted notebook we were selling with a depiction or a raven on it and I had an intrinsic sense that today would be the day I got my tattoo. I texted my girlfriend at the time and told her to meet me when my shift ended. I looked through a few pages of raven pictures and picked one whose shape spoke to me. I wanted it to be a bit more stylized but mostly realistic. The most important detail to me though was the eye, a spiral.

I chose the raven as a symbol of intelligence and wisdom. Ravens as creatures are smart enough to open velcro and buttons, mimic speech, and play pranks on each other. Metaphysically, ravens are thought to be omens, messengers, and purveyors of hard truths. They are a symbol of Odin, who hung from Yggdrasil and gained knowledge of the runes and enlightenment in exchange. The spiral within its eye is both an infinite void and a sign of its magical acumen."

Senia sent us the following poem, as well:

No Life King

In the land of princes I was the no life king.
In the land of shadows I was the tangled tree roots.
In the land of churches I was the raven

perched atop steeples that cried into the night.
I was there and the darkness eddied around me.
In the land of stars I was a burned out candle.

I'm sorry that the riddles have empty answers.
I could reach through the earth and feel every heartbeat.
When I exhaled, fog rolled forth. The winds cut through me

like no sword ever could. In the land of drowning
I was a swamp. The darkness eddied around me.
When I screamed trees shot from the ground. Past the hills

men watched from iron houses as I laid waste to their lands.
When I ate their horses none of them found the strength to cry.
I'm sorry the gristle ran down my face. I'm sorry the birds

never let you get close. In the land of desire I was a pear tree.
When I laughed moths turned from the moon. The sea
was hungry and it was the only option.

When I was young, life was as short as my excuses.
I'm sorry everything turns back to dirt.
I'm sorry there's more meat than reasons.

I'm sorry the dead only talk in a whisper. I'm sorry their secrets all end the same way.
I knew the graveyard was no place for oak trees. Wherever I land
everyone cries. I'm sorry apologies are never enough.

~ ~ ~

Senia Hardwick is a young poet living out of the NY metro area. They have been previously
published in Collective Fallout (Volume 5 No 1) which is available for free online at
http://collectivefallout.net/.

Thanks to Senia for sharing the poem and tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission.

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 http://tattoosday.blogspot.com 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.