Tattoosday (A Tattoo Blog): Por Vida Tattoo

Our second tattooed poet of the day is Michael Torres. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ej9A_ld5Bf3AswYgt8tWOakcgJBC4xGlbEkyqVPxfntNY1OeZc_8trE0ZX9Ur5JxUa6nMgnkNRL4f-4e8cdBetZegl_BYJ1mJq-Q0CosBBrSgq65FyYWz6wEoasN-b2NgSUEYehcCv4/s1600/Torres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ej9A_ld5Bf3AswYgt8tWOakcgJBC4xGlbEkyqVPxfntNY1OeZc_8trE0ZX9Ur5JxUa6nMgnkNRL4f-4e8cdBetZegl_BYJ1mJq-Q0CosBBrSgq65FyYWz6wEoasN-b2NgSUEYehcCv4/s400/Torres.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> Michael sent in photos of two tattoos, including this one: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGF69lN8xKh2x8bVzCek-8kRUWWYpbwU-lK4P98Z16HaYISFWchFevWnouY6rJp2poBuPzlLiJl0bCA7quoegU_RaCzUl1Xu89rCOudBHMYyjgbwE37ASlXA40J5BrgW6R-yWBhu3Ms5Y/s1600/bukowski+torres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGF69lN8xKh2x8bVzCek-8kRUWWYpbwU-lK4P98Z16HaYISFWchFevWnouY6rJp2poBuPzlLiJl0bCA7quoegU_RaCzUl1Xu89rCOudBHMYyjgbwE37ASlXA40J5BrgW6R-yWBhu3Ms5Y/s640/bukowski+torres.jpg" width="314" /></a></div> Michael informs us that the set of words inscribed on his flesh <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "...is a poem called <a href="http://des.emory.edu/mfp/bukowski2.html">Oh Yes</a> by <a href="http://bukowski.net/">Charles Bukowski</a>. I got it done at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/porvidatattoo">Por Vida Tattoo</a> in Upland, California. I got it done because at that time in my life poetry was becoming more of a hobby to me and I was beginning to see my world changing in front of me. Friends that got married and had kids right after high school were finding out that things weren't going exactly as they had planned. The poem represents the realization that there is much I have to do in life before I worry about settling down simply because I think I have to."</blockquote> He also sent us this piece: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkB-X7oMcYcVaysy177kPKO9whEcR3THwJcGfCbUSWM9Lzj1ohTPGbQUkiFnLUry53_cNVeCVgkc8FAsisNsk8iS6ky-gUNfcXfBqloMsHgnXmWQVdIhk5XGKzVLkYmacHP-DrIrEyUMs/s1600/torres+woman+better.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkB-X7oMcYcVaysy177kPKO9whEcR3THwJcGfCbUSWM9Lzj1ohTPGbQUkiFnLUry53_cNVeCVgkc8FAsisNsk8iS6ky-gUNfcXfBqloMsHgnXmWQVdIhk5XGKzVLkYmacHP-DrIrEyUMs/s640/torres+woman+better.jpg" width="340" /></a></div> Michael explains: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgv8oUEHkw5N2Nv6mdsZg6bQF1Ak6MOQExwPbJgBc4EEA_in-fSIeXky1bp8BAv1Sojg_zQJsYUehnFKTaUPkr7DjnO_34-cT35n_Z4k0pQ1COJSu-8eQZiX8EgbrR9ndqUI3eh_v3ikI/s1600/MusePoetry_Poynter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgv8oUEHkw5N2Nv6mdsZg6bQF1Ak6MOQExwPbJgBc4EEA_in-fSIeXky1bp8BAv1Sojg_zQJsYUehnFKTaUPkr7DjnO_34-cT35n_Z4k0pQ1COJSu-8eQZiX8EgbrR9ndqUI3eh_v3ikI/s400/MusePoetry_Poynter.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><blockquote class="tr_bq">"The second tattoo in the same arm is of the poetry muse, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erato">Erato</a>. I basically liked the image I googled. The original artist is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Poynter">Sir Edward John Poynter</a> and it was done in 1870. I had the tattoo done in Montclair, Ca at Skills for Thrills tattoo shop. Me being a poet wanted to have the muse with me all the time. Even though we believe we should be lucky to have her whisper those golden lines into our ears I thought, why not have her around all the time. I am not going to stop writing any time soon and I don't take for granted all I have been given because of writing so this was for her, the muse. Both tattoos were done on my lower left arm."</blockquote>Michael sent us this poem, as well: The Coltrane  I am a top-hat-black-tie-poetry-party ditcher off wandering the downtown streets of my mind with a kool-aid pitcher in my hand, rice crispy treats in my backpack and a beach ball somewhere over everyone like the dot to the letter i. I am looking for myself. And rumor has it I was last seen standing at the edge of a woman’s heart facing tomorrow, screaming I’LL DO IT. I’LL JUMP      before turning around to see that she was already long gone, leaving only a note that read  “please, just clean up the mess." I guess I would then  head in the direction of the park because poetry is nature and sheets of paper walk the same way leaves do when the wind calls and pens click December raindrops. Aha, my imagination has left me trails of sheet music so I walk to the jazz notes waiting for the next Coltrane to take me home. There! In the park I see me, running towards the lake. Piano keys ripple across the water like a tossed pebble fucking up the order of time cuz now when I look at my reflection,       I see me but he is a little boy trying to dance to the ranchera music moving across the back porch at a neighbor's party he, I mean I, snuck into, all the adults there speaking      Spanish, cigarette tongues laughing ash onto my, I mean his, head. He is we, only 7, and I at 25 have forgotten what I was suppose to find in the first place. He is happy and I wanna be me again. I jump in-to sky            blue,  break      water      skin,  breathe out,            breathe in. <div style="text-align: center;">~ ~ ~</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.finishinglinepress.com/images/158torres%20cov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.finishinglinepress.com/images/158torres%20cov.jpg" width="208" /></a></div> Michael Torres was born and raised in Pomona, California. He was exposed to poetry at an early age, learning the works of William Shakespeare, Langston Hughes and Emily Dickinson to name a few. He has been published in <a href="http://www.beatlick.com/">Beatlick News</a>, <a href="http://chironreview.com/">The Chiron Review</a>, Left Coast Review, and <a href="http://www.solopress.org/Solo_Press_2011/Welcome.html">Solo Press</a>. His first chapbook of poetry, <a href="http://www.finishinglinepress.com/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=173">The Beautiful Distraction</a> was published by <a href="http://www.finishinglinepress.com/">Finishing Line Press</a>. Michael is currently in school pursuing a degree in creative writing at the <a href="http://www.ucr.edu/">University of California, Riverside</a>. He lives in Pomona, Ca. Thanks to Michael for sharing his poetry and tattoos with us here on the Tattooed Poets Project! This entry is ©2012 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: Michael Torres

Our second tattooed poet of the day is Michael Torres. Michael sent in photos of two tattoos, including this one: Michael informs us that th...

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