Saturday, March 1, 2008

Gentle Soldier of My Soul (Dave Carter)

So... I got my third tattoo today - I've posted before about my first and second. This is something I've been planning the last few years, knowing exactly what design would grace some part of my body eventually when the timing felt right - when a co-worker had hers done last weekend, I knew my wait was over.

It's no surprise to some of you reading that I'm a devotee of Dave Carter, the musician *and* the person - his death in July 2002 was devastating to me. I've written previously about the many dragonfly sightings which occurred following his passing and, to this day, whenever I spot one of the flying insects, my first thought is "Dave"... followed by a heart twinge and then a knowing smile - when Tracy Grammer, Dave's "partner in all things" released her Flower of Avalon CD, which contained her recordings of many of his unreleased songs, the dragonfly on the cover was the perfect symbol for honoring his memory. It now resides on my left forearm - hey-yah...

A bit of dragonfly science, history and folklore here...


POEM: The Dragonfly by Louise Bogan

You are made of almost nothing
But of enough
To be great eyes
And diaphanous double vans;
To be ceaseless movement,
Unending hunger
Grappling love.

Link between water and air,
Earth repels you.
Light touches you only to shift into iridescence
Upon your body and wings.

Twice-born, predator,
You split into the heat.
Swift beyond calculation or capture
You dart into the shadow
Which consumes you.

You rocket into the day.
But at last, when the wind flattens the grasses,
For you, the design and purpose stop.

And you fall
With the other husks of summer.

QUOTE: "Deep in the sun-searched growths the dragonfly hangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky." ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti

7 comments:

  1. What a wonderful tattoo! Did you use the picture from the album?

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  2. Hey, Amy ~

    I did indeed - since artists are hesitant (for good reason) to *copy* someone else's work, he kept the body in shades of purple and pink, and colored the wings in subtle shades of green, orange and white. It's really stunning - I keep looking at it with awe and memory... :-)

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  3. Congratulations, Susan! I know how long you've pondered this one, can't wait to see it in person.

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  4. Hey, M ~

    Can't wait to show it to you - maybe we can do a wine night sometime next week? (any day except Monday... :-)

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  5. Susan, I'll check my calendar! :-)

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  6. How old were you when you got your first tattoo?
    I've been thinking about getting one ... .
    My oldest daughter (22) has a beautiful phoenix adorning her back, shoulder blade to shoulder blade.

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  7. Hey, Kate ~

    I got my first tattoo a few days short of my 40th birthday... just as I'd always promised myself - seemed like a fitting life passage... :-)

    Your daughter's phoenix sounds gorgeous... and I'd love to hear why she chose that, should you care to share - one of the many reasons I love tattoos are the various stories behind the inking...

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