MY FIVE TATTOOS

ONE

This is the second tattoo I have, it's on my back. The idea behind having tattoos put on my back, is if I ever start hating them, they're on my back so I don't have to worry about them. This one I had done when I was out in South Dakota, and for you linguistic nerds out there you will see it's the word "Dakota" written in IPA (the funny writing next to the proper words in the dictionary). This is because I studied IPA while in Dakota! It was done using the "Stick and Poke" method of tattooing for free by one of the friends I made there. A needle is wound against a stick, dipped in ink and the tattooist repeatedly stabs you with the needle over, and goes over the tattoo a few times. It took a long time and was a lot worse than, the now, normal way to do tattoos. Put simply: it hurt.

TWO

Now, for the clever folk of you out there, you'll see that this is not a tattoo. Well done. It is in fact an origami boat. I want it for two reasons, the first is, my late grandfather was amazing at origami and had a small following, was in magazines for inventing pieces and was known as the main expert of the "Spring Into Action" a difficult and very time consuming piece of origami. I want lyrics written either in the boat or below it for Cole, for the plan that we have to represent our song "Boats and Birds" by Gregory and the Hawk.

THREE

For some reason, I really want a tattoo of a birdcage. I have no specific sentimental reason, but if I were to have this in particular, I would have the birds flying into the cage, which is what I've wanted, to show them finding a "home" which is something that I am doing.

FOUR

This is a tattoo I am definitely having done. It will be very small and on my wrist. It's my favourite word, the "schwa" and it is my favourite noise "uh", the noise of indecisiveness, which I am a big ball of.

FIVE

Your first tattoo and you're nervous. You've thrown up. A lot. That's only the nerves. You're violently ill with a cold and you're hocking up a lung every time you cough. But you are determined to get this done. You chose what you wanted a few months back, drew it out all pretty-like and now you're here. Sitting in “Dye-n-Pie's” tattoo parlour in Swansea. Your illness takes over again as you struggle to breath.

“I'm not doing a tattoo if you keep coughing” Pie looks at you indignantly and waves you in. You assure him that you will not cough at all when you get it done. Well done you. When you first step in he looks you over and starts complimenting your skin. He apologises that it sounds creepy, but as a tattooist it the thing he notices. You have candle wax skin, that's so pale it will take to colour really well. He says he's the same. He shows you a tattoo on his arm and has you guess how old it is. You say maybe four, or five-

“Thirty years” he interrupts, smiling proudly. The red of the tattoo brightly showing off, matching his flushed cheeks.

You give him the design and he starts, it's not like you imagined.

The buzzing makes your stomach jolt but you sit there clutching the chair you're on. It hurts, obviously, it's a tattoo. However, it doesn't hurt the way you assumed it would. It's a sharp vibration, a bearable pain. It's then you understand how people can become addicted to the ink and you're already thinking of more that you can have. It's only a little tattoo so it doesn't take any longer than thirty minutes. Plus you never coughed. Well done. Go team you.

The main reason you get this particular tattoo is because it's what you doodle all the time. Eyes. You could go deep into it and say it's the people that have passed looking over you, or it shows the time a psychic told you that your “third eye was very open”, but you never really think of any of the reasons when you get it done. Then a small Japanese symbol meaning “Dad”. The fact you have it in Japanese bugs you a little bit, even immediately after having it done. You find it will irritate you more in the future when people keep asking “What's the X for?” Also, you'll not be looking forward to the time a woman shouts “but you're not Japanese!” at your face. She's not wrong. However, you will never regret having that tattoo done and you love that it is a permanent part of you.