diogenespersonified's blog: "Richocets In The Brainpan"

Ink on the Soul

We all have our tattoos

Some show them visible

Some keep them hidden

External but covered

Something for their own reasons

Having special meaning and purpose

But we all have them never the less

The ones that don't show

Ink on the soul

Like any other tattoo

Some are bold outlines

Shades of many colors

Or just stark outlines of black and white

Things happen in our lives

Like a tattoo

They penetrate our being

Of varying depth penetration

They leave their marks forever

We can even do what we can to remove them

But like marks erased by laser

Or dermabrasion

It stills leaves a shading visible on the skin

Sometimes only seen in certain light

And like a tattoo it may not be

A reminder of bad times

This is what differentiates

A pattern etched

From a scar or brand

Left from adverse circumstances

It may be something joyous

Or simply life altering

Birth of a loved one

Special moments of intensity

These leave tribal markings

Some relatively painless

Other go to the bone

Stimulating and overloading nerves

For a moment exquisite torture

Then the feeling is gone

The design memorialized forever

Unlike what appears

On our skin for others to view

We don't always choose

What art decorates our soul

And sometimes we are oblivious

To the marks of our tribe

Until something reaches out to us

And we realize we have found

A member of our tribe

A subtle feeling

They too share our marks