An Eighth Shot of Espresso: Coffee and Creativity on Mum's Third Shift

Mother hates tattoos she thinks they are tacky  unattractive  a sign of a criminal  She talked about them behind their back but never directly to their faces Husband thinks  those who have them  are rebels against  polite society  He says he believes in live and let live but he always has a definite opinion I believe that  they are beautiful art  an expression of  individuality The colors and patterns fascinate my creative eye perhaps one day I get pictures of my own

A tattoo  with burning lines  that stand out  upon pale skin  newly inked still stings from the bite of the needle a trickle of blood where the points are not yet healed but no memory of when, where how and why an indiscretion not easily hidden a mark of a  spontaneous indulgence  that is quickly regretted.