my tattooed heart

is etched

a thousand times over

miles marked in symbols &

sleeved on my skin

beneath the scar tissue,

& India ink, everything is

ruined down here.

–

Allie Marini is a cross-genre Southern writer. In addition to her work on the page, Allie was a 2017 Oakland Poetry Slam team member & writes poetry, fiction, and essays. She performs in the Bay Area where, as a native Floridian, she is always cold. Find her online @kiddeternity

Lead image: “Tattoo Parlor” (via Flickr user Joseph Vasquez)