H
e a r t S o n s & H e a r t D a u g h t e r s of A l l e n G i n s
b e r g
N
a p a l m H e a l t h S p a : R e p o r t 2 0 1 4 : A r c h i
v e s E d i t i o n
MARC OLMSTED
Funeral Tattoo
It took 2 visits - red samurai crest then the
Japanese kanji -
my mother died between them
& when that tattoo
was finally down
raw
burning
looked in the mirror
& saw
a crazed 'Nam vet
a Navy S.E.A.L. lunatic who wore the ears
of his enemies —
fit my mood
for her grave -
on me
'til mine
[Originally
published in NHS 2004, http://www.poetspath.com/napalm/nhs04/Marc_Olmsted.html.]