Drifting Dreaming While Awake
What have I connected to?
Drifting
Between wake and sleep
Looking down
At my forearm where
Faded blue-black numbers imbed my skin
Not my SSN
Not my phone
Not my birth date
Not my death date
But yes, those are the numbers
The numbers that defined…
That defined…
Today nudges my shoulder and
I awake
Inspired by Gail Boenning :
Many years ago, when I was stationed in Korea, one of my shipmates liked to kid me about getting a tattoo. Seoul had some pretty exotic tattoo artists, and I love dragons (which are China’s national symbol, whereas Korean’s have the tiger, but anyway…) so maybe. But put it where? And how large? And what kind?
So this has been on my mind off and on, and one weekday morning I kind of wake up but not really, and looking down at my arm I see a number. It’s old, and a little worn. And when I see it, I know it’s the right number, even though another part of me can’t connect it to anything.
And I wake up for real.
I never got a tattoo, and never gave one a serious consideration since.
