Tova's Mockingbird Takes Wing

<div class="MsoNormal">Late last month, I met Tova at my local Borders store. She was sporting this incredible tattoo on her upper left arm:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRiblRsGXYknFM2DxkYBpMTyYQTf6J8omvsFO85lr0JgrKNKrdCYkWsM7b1-jl7sLx5UQe5F_D3c1GoeoYEy5q7WQEPsFFf600Lnp7en64pmsNhsWDcbY9Y_6yMSMeCXqM30WLjlnI1Nw/s1600/Mockingbird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRiblRsGXYknFM2DxkYBpMTyYQTf6J8omvsFO85lr0JgrKNKrdCYkWsM7b1-jl7sLx5UQe5F_D3c1GoeoYEy5q7WQEPsFFf600Lnp7en64pmsNhsWDcbY9Y_6yMSMeCXqM30WLjlnI1Nw/s640/Mockingbird.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">When she told me she had it recently inked at <a href="http://nyadorned.com/">New York Adorned</a>, I guessed correctly that <a href="http://virginiaelwoodtattoo.com/">Virginia Elwood</a> had been the artist. Virginia in incredibly talented, and seems to especially excel at bird tattoos (her work has been seen previously on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/08/kristinas-rooster-crows-in-honor-of-her.html">here</a>, <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/03/stevies-tattoo-calms-and-inspires.html">here</a> and <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/02/melanies-marilyn.html">here</a>).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Tova explained that she loves birds, and that this mockingbird reflects a turn of events that occurred in Southern California. She described to me how, the night before she had to take <strike>defend</strike>  her Ph.D. exams <strike>dissertation</strike>, her husband had a guest staying with them, and this individual seemed particular insensitive to the momentous occasion Tova was facing the next day, as he was playing loud music well into the night.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Tova recalled how her anxiety and displeasure over this guest’s inconsiderate activity forced her from her home in search of a little peace and quiet. As she circled her block, she was struck by the large number of mockingbirds that were flying around.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">She successfully passed her exams <strike>defended her dissertation</strike> and associates the mockingbird with this landmark event in her life.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As her Ph.D. Is in English, I asked her if she was familiar with one of my favorite poems, Charles Bukowski’s “The Mockingbird”. She wasn’t, so I suggested she check it out and I thought it appropriate to share here:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">the mockingbird<br /><br />the mockingbird had been following the cat<br />all summer<br />mocking mocking mocking<br />teasing and cocksure;<br />the cat crawled under rockers on porches<br />tail flashing<br />and said something angry to the mockingbird<br />which I didn't understand.<br /><br />yesterday the cat walked calmly up the driveway<br />with the mockingbird alive in its mouth,<br />wings fanned, beautiful wings fanned and flopping,<br />feathers parted like a woman's legs,<br />and the bird was no longer mocking,<br />it was asking, it was praying<br />but the cat<br />striding down through centuries<br />would not listen.<br /><br />I saw it crawl under a yellow car<br />with the bird<br />to bargain it to another place.<br /><br />summer was over.</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"> ~</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Thanks to Tova for sharing her stunning tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is Copyright ©2011 by Tattoosday, with the exception of "The Mockingbird," which is </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Copyright ©1972 by Charles Bukowski.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />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 <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> 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.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

Tova's Mockingbird Takes Wing

Late last month, I met Tova at my local Borders store. She was sporting this incredible tattoo on her upper left arm: When she told me she h...

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