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Anita D, performing at IWPS 2019 in San Diego, CA.
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About Button:
Button Poetry is committed to developing a coherent and effective system of production, distribution, promotion and fundraising for spoken word and performance poetry.
We seek to showcase the power and diversity of voices in our community. By encouraging and broadcasting the best and brightest performance poets of today, we hope to broaden poetry’s audience, to expand its reach and develop a greater level of cultural appreciation for the art form.
Modern-day tattooing
involves a small handheld machine, Powered by electricity. The device drives needles in and out
of the top layers of the skin At a rate of 80 to 150 times per second. Ink is injected under the epidermis, Leaving a change in pigment
and a fixed mark on the body. Now, to some people,
this can be a painful process, But I don't mind it. I think it feels like tiny daggers
are dancing across my skin, Carving battle scars
with every twirl and two-step. You see, I know that it hurts, But it's what comes out of the pain
that makes me feel safe. A lot of people see tattoos
as pieces of art Or get them as some form of expression. I get tattoos because it is the only form
of pain I know how to control. They are the only torn parts of me That I get to color in
and make pretty again. I get tattoos as a form of therapy, As a form of self-harm,
as a form of healing. I get tattoos to distract
the people I get close to. Like if I tell them about these scars, Maybe they won't ask
about the ones they can't see, Maybe they won't notice
how crippled my smiles are Or how heavy my shoulders sit. Instead, they'll look at me and see art. They'll take notice
to the small details in white ink, Remind me that there's always
a little light in darkness And how important it is to recognize this. I hope they tell me this on the days
my smile doesn't make it out of bed And on the evenings
I am too tired to keep trying. I want my tattoos to inspire dialogue
between strangers. How poetic would it be to win as
a failed suicide attempt Birth life into a conversation. I get tattoos because I am still here.
Because maybe if I paint my scars pretty, My pain will be seen
as something beautiful, As something worth going through. Maybe my tattoos will be recognized
for what they truly are– Survival. (cheers and applause)
