Wolves - Stefan Johnsson

Literary tattoos

Hunter S Thompson's Fear and Loathing... tattoo - by Jeremiah, AtMusFear, Thomasville, NC.

Kurt Vonnegut quote tattoo, complete with his signature asterisk. I wonder if the person who got this realised it was meant to be an arsehole, not a pretty star.

From a Charles Bukowski poem, "For Jane".

225 days under grass
and you know more than I.
they have long taken your blood,
you are a dry stick in a basket.
is this how it works?
in this room
the hours of love
still make shadows.

when you left
you took almost
everything.
I kneel in the nights
before tigers
that will not let me be.

what you were
will not happen again.
the tigers have found me
and I do not care.

My other favourite poet, E. E. Cummings, has had many of his poems tattooed. Most often it's "I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)", but one of my favourites is "I like my body when it is with your"

i like my body when it is with your
body. It is so quite new a thing.
Muscles better and nerves more.
i like your body. i like what it does,
i like its hows. i like to feel the spine
of your body and its bones, and the trembling
-firm-smooth ness and which i will
again and again and again
kiss, i like kissing this and that of you,
i like, slowly stroking the, shocking fuzz
of your electric fur, and what-is-it comes
over parting flesh … And eyes big love-crumbs,

and possibly i like the thrill

of under me you so quite new

Thanks to Contrariwise, who I pinched a few of these photos from - a great source for literary tattoos.