R. D. Roy

Poems

These Tattoos | Road to Havana | Comfort | With Lisa before the Bell Tolls

These Tattoos

I have carved your names
into my arms
and the atriums of my heart
to remind myself
of who we are
of all the promises we make

They are meant to staunch
and heal against
a culture of commerce
disposable beliefs
the loveless sexing
of everything

You choose to carry
inconvenient markings
unfashionable forms
the desecrations of the body
the graffiti of our souls
your 'nom de guerre'

These are the salty compasses
and darkened storm signs
the graphic celebrations
of triumph and conviction
the blue-black armbands
of our losses

And I will know you
this much more
by the impermeable warpaint
you wear
by the deliberate totem
of your skin