Stacy's Amigo Tugs Her Back to Milwaukee

At the end of July, I ran into Stacy waiting for the <a href="http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/fline.htm">F train</a> at West 4th Street in Manhattan.<br /><br />She had a panther peeking out from under her shirt on her back, but we couldn't get the whole tattoo in a shot, so she offered up this piece on her right arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhn5pmafq8fFz9ge62Cuh2uVQHLHRpu_X-HRnWPcsdL6U9UY8UumpXtOLTan1tQ-gSn2g3DR49Gu3_SmwAnIzOYkJYJVUkUqO8UfZ_M-3tegRtwGDOoxM2-DKCHFERz4wL4Cl_pFi/s1600/Tugboat+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhn5pmafq8fFz9ge62Cuh2uVQHLHRpu_X-HRnWPcsdL6U9UY8UumpXtOLTan1tQ-gSn2g3DR49Gu3_SmwAnIzOYkJYJVUkUqO8UfZ_M-3tegRtwGDOoxM2-DKCHFERz4wL4Cl_pFi/s640/Tugboat+wm.jpg" width="446" /></a></div><br />Stacy is a poet and the Artistic Director of <a href="http://poetryproject.org/">The Poetry Project</a> at <a href="http://stmarksbowery.org/">St. Mark's Church</a> in New York City. She has been here five years and originally hails from <a href="http://www.ci.mil.wi.us/">Milwaukee</a>.<br /><br />Living next to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Michigan">Lake Michigan</a> has many benefits. Having always lived in a location near a large body of water, I can relate to her admiration for the beauty of a seascape, whether it be an ocean or a great lake.<br /><br />Stacy told me she enjoyed watching the tugboats in her home town, and that these small vessels are a "connective image" that draws her back to her original home.<br /><br />This tattoo was designed and inked by <a href="http://stephanietamez.com/">Stephanie Tamez</a> at <a href="http://www.nyadorned.com/">New York Adorned</a>. Work from Stephanie on Tattoosday can be viewed <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Stephanie%20Tamez">here</a>.<br /><br />This is also the second tugboat of the summer. The first one is <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/07/andy-honors-hercules.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Stacy for sharing her tugboat with us here at Tattoosday. Perhaps we'll see her panther when the <a href="http://tattooedpoets.blogspot.com/2010/03/index-of-tattooed-poets.html">Tattooed Poets Project</a> returns next April for its third year!

Stacy's Amigo Tugs Her Back to Milwaukee

At the end of July, I ran into Stacy waiting for the F train at West 4th Street in Manhattan. She had a panther peeking out from under her ...

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Simona's Scripted Ink

I met Simona in Park Slope, Brooklyn, back at the end of July. At the corner of Prospect Avenue and Prospect Park West, just outside of the <a href="http://www.hnjbklyn.org/">Holy Name Church</a>.<br /><br />Simona had an unusual script around her right bicep:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00lNv_7Fh0DXqk5TPrGevuAMT3iJWhGYVKIjcM_RLPBNigC929prx-TPkTdCxWRYpXE2gdBW7yz_5BEC0yYS9ag4CrgbKPvohHfPVTsvbHOlHtwytCFAPeEvY5uDARvKzzberSfiC/s1600/elvish+collage+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00lNv_7Fh0DXqk5TPrGevuAMT3iJWhGYVKIjcM_RLPBNigC929prx-TPkTdCxWRYpXE2gdBW7yz_5BEC0yYS9ag4CrgbKPvohHfPVTsvbHOlHtwytCFAPeEvY5uDARvKzzberSfiC/s400/elvish+collage+wm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This is written in <a href="http://www.omniglot.com/writing/tengwar.htm">Tengwar</a>, a script created by <a href="http://www.omniglot.com/writing/tengwar.htm">J.R.R. Tolkien</a> to represent the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvish">Elvish</a> tongue. The text displayed here is the beginning of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aragorn">Aragorn</a>'s coronation speech in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/J-R-R-Tolkien-Boxed-Hobbit-Rings/dp/0345340426?ie=UTF8&tag=bill03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Lord of The Rings</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0345340426" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> trilogy.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4SfqIVQNnWeGe4z1MmnGbNVJIBOMQ0Z9fWC03c5ExNACCWbZCc8nU_labY3Xj2P3PIMkqKzzVwClF7rd0lmhgqyCVokeYbTISnXz192DMqBv7xkX9cmOZolPVR-m6Bmqj2qeAF8k/s1600/500px-Et_Earello_Endorenna_Tengwar_Font.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4SfqIVQNnWeGe4z1MmnGbNVJIBOMQ0Z9fWC03c5ExNACCWbZCc8nU_labY3Xj2P3PIMkqKzzVwClF7rd0lmhgqyCVokeYbTISnXz192DMqBv7xkX9cmOZolPVR-m6Bmqj2qeAF8k/s400/500px-Et_Earello_Endorenna_Tengwar_Font.svg.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />The line displayed is "Et Eärello Endorenna utúlien," which means "Out of the Great Sea to Middle-earth I am come".<br /><br />This tattoo was inked by one of the best tattooers of script around, <a href="http://stephanietamez.com/">Stephanie Tamez</a> at <a href="http://www.nyadorned.com/">New York Adorned</a>. Work from Stephanie has appeared previously on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Stephanie%20Tamez">here</a>.<br /><br />Simona also had this on her inner left forearm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uUcRDLv7GOgQQZt1UZnxUp6INc-_1OUfF6Pp3f2TBfcdtBpnMr9_eo7veQJ63TBSfJqV6Knn1Mm48uf2nLakbk5oiolrCWmUTiW1mpSk-FU5cSe4MkGzUQJvidT8uuoOWdv1Z2wk/s1600/chai+crop+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uUcRDLv7GOgQQZt1UZnxUp6INc-_1OUfF6Pp3f2TBfcdtBpnMr9_eo7veQJ63TBSfJqV6Knn1Mm48uf2nLakbk5oiolrCWmUTiW1mpSk-FU5cSe4MkGzUQJvidT8uuoOWdv1Z2wk/s400/chai+crop+wm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfCz-Cpirs-nm0-INz4UUjn2LmSWCvtPQcxiWh2M_e-irs_v1tjjKv1qngIl1vzgLgyXjQ6EI0A0s5c0QfXtPvIdG-pjrrvs8yc4Qx51nGV8U_wr07MjyAyWKipDTp50GO9p5uhcg/s1600/200px-Hebrew_Chai_Symbol.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfCz-Cpirs-nm0-INz4UUjn2LmSWCvtPQcxiWh2M_e-irs_v1tjjKv1qngIl1vzgLgyXjQ6EI0A0s5c0QfXtPvIdG-pjrrvs8yc4Qx51nGV8U_wr07MjyAyWKipDTp50GO9p5uhcg/s200/200px-Hebrew_Chai_Symbol.svg.png" width="200" /></a></div>That is Hebrew for "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chai_%28symbol%29">chai</a>" or "life".<br /><br />She placed the tattoo there because that is where Jews who were interned during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust">Holocaust</a> had been tattooed by the Nazis. It's tattooed there as an expression of solidarity with her faith and, as a reminder to never forget the horror that was the Holocaust.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Thanks to Simona for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Simona's Scripted Ink

I met Simona in Park Slope, Brooklyn, back at the end of July. At the corner of Prospect Avenue and Prospect Park West, just outside of the ...

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