30 Day Writing Challenge: What Tattoos You Have and If They Have Meaning

On my arms, I have sleeves. Not of mesh or cotton, but of ink. My arms tell the story of a life filled with fandom. A UFO hovers over lovers in the woods. "I want to believe" on one wrist; "the truth is out there" on the other. A magnifying glass houses 221b in its lens, a DW logo underneath it. The Carl Sandburg quote, "Nothing happens unless first a dream", spirals through the outlines of bones. A bright daisy grows in front of a headstone... a leaf on the wind soars in front of a beat-up Serenity, and a silhouette of a sheriff serves as the background to an apocalyptic scene. I am covered in what I adore.

An anti-possession tattoo adorns my chest near my left shoulder. I am a Winchester, a woman of letters. The Rocket Summer lyrics are scrawled down my side. The Deathly Hallows, a wand, a lightning bolt, all tattooed in white on my ankle and used to spell "ALWAYS", and the final quote from "The Great Gatsby" wraps down my foot. I shine with obsession. My body, like my car, covered in bumper stickers representing the things that make life worth living. My anniversary date on my shoulder. My daughter's birthdate underneath. I am a portrait of passion.

But these pictures, these permanent stains, aren't real. My skin is pale and clear, with the exception of a few scars. My loves are not conveyed with tattoos, because My Greatest Passion, The Ultimate Interest, The One I worship more than any other taught me that my body is a temple. He taught me that my soul is a combination of my spirit and my body; that this mortal, physical shell is of eternal importance. He taught me that the value of my virtue is far more precious than rubies, and through Him I have come to learn and understand that He made my body more perfect than any artist with a needle ever could. He made me perfect, just the way I am, and I no longer have any desire to try to one-up His design or prove to Him that I can do better.

You see, I love art, body art included. But I love Him more. And so, for me, I choose the road less traveled, and my life, my heart, my soul is still fulfilled. I am the portrait of passion because of what I do, not what I wear. "No ragrets."


Image courtesy of ohgizmo.com.