The Tattooed Poets Project: Katie Ford Hall

Today's tattooed poet is Katie Ford Hall.

Katie sent us this photo of her tattoo:

 

Katie explains:

I got my tattoo in 1992 when I was 25.  I had been considering a tattoo for awhile and decided on a Claddagh to honor my Irish roots.  My grandparents were immigrants and I look the part.  I've always felt very connected to Ireland and whether it's nature or nurture, I seem to embody a lot of the well-known characteristics.  For the design, I used a ring I had been wearing for years.  I consider it good luck because no matter how hard I try, I never seem to be able to lose it.  I took it to Designs By Dana in Cincinnati, Ohio and one of the artists copied it onto my left arm.

For a poem, Katie offered us this:

The Thing Itself

There’s a shadow

outside my kitchen window –

falling on Japanese maple;

sweeping over swing set.



A corner of the

eye distraction from

the scraping of a

crusty pan

then again a flicker

as I turn around to say

‘chicken’s ready’



there was a me

who became a secret –

when the time came for

a me

to set an example –



the secret dances across grass

on the cool dew of

thick summer nights



reckless and unbounded,

compelling and unglued.

oblivious to

consequences,

blind to

ramifications



Dancing

born of a

shame and hunger



denied by laughter

denied by wet heavy air

and denied again --



three times

before dawn



Sacrificed at

the altar of the

inevitable

And laid to rest

in the tomb of

the proper



A life that can’t be

sustained must be

set free,



traded for

half acre lots

stainless steel

appliances

and the dream of a

freer next

generation



But there’s

still that shadow.

I suspect

it’s me



and I suspect that

shadows

resurrected

fall just beyond an



infinity of

suburban

kitchen windows.



Never mentioned

barely noticed  

banished to

the edges of

anxious eyes

 ~  ~  ~

Katie Ford Hall is 43 years old and lives on the edge of civilization just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and two children.  Her poetry has appeared in several online and print journals including Chantarelle's Notebook, Ancient Heart Magazine, Women Writing for (a) Change anthologies and For A Better World 2005: Poems and Drawings on Peace and Justice by Greater Cincinnati Artists.  She contributed a story to When One Door Closes: Reflections from Women on Life's Turning Points and has written feature stories for CityBeat Magazine and Cincinnati Woman Magazine. These days, she can be found blogging all over the place, but mostly on Uneasy Pink, her blog about breast cancer-related issues.



Many thanks to Katie for sharing her poem and her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. The poem is reprinted here with the permission of the author.



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