I mentioned the following tattoos in another thread. But then I thought, kind of an interesting thread idea, isn’t it?
What’s the story behind your most significant tattoos?
My dad quick work with the Railroad when he was 19 to serve in the Navy. He didn't have to, since he couldn't be drafted. His dad died when he was young, and his only brother was killed in WWII. He'd gotten a tattoo of a little kitty with a salior's cap on his upper left arm.
That tattoo endeared me to him. Tough son-of-a-bitch that he was, fearsome as he was, he had a little kitty tattoo.
Long after his death my sister wanted to know if I could find a picture of that tattoo. She wanted one, as a tribute to him. We got to talking about it, and she burst out laughing when I didn't know the story behind it. "You don't know why he had that tattoo?"
"Nope."
"He got drunk on shore leave in England. The guys had that done to him while he was passed out. Didn't want him going on his first shore leave abroad without getting a little pussy."
I did not know that. And I think I love him more. Differently now, but more.
My tattoos have different stories, but my granddaughter knows them.
I have a giant rose on my upper left arm. Hey, if the Old Man was man enough to sport a kitty.... Its leaves show below my short sleeve shirts, looking like marijuana to some, and I have to raise it now and then to show them what it is, a tribute to the women of my life. My mom was Diana Rose (and her name is on a petal). Then there was Gramma Rose and my sister Amanda Rose. I have two aunts named Rose, and several of my nieces and my female cousins have Rose in their names.
The other is a turtle, identical to my wife's. It's how we got engaged. The turtle is an emblem of long, steady love, calm and enduring.
My oldest step-daughter burst into tears without any exposition about our turtles when she saw them. She knew what it meant. A symbol far more permanent than a simple ring. To our grandchildren, an intrinsic part of the legends of their lineage
What’s the story behind your most significant tattoos?
My dad quick work with the Railroad when he was 19 to serve in the Navy. He didn't have to, since he couldn't be drafted. His dad died when he was young, and his only brother was killed in WWII. He'd gotten a tattoo of a little kitty with a salior's cap on his upper left arm.
That tattoo endeared me to him. Tough son-of-a-bitch that he was, fearsome as he was, he had a little kitty tattoo.
Long after his death my sister wanted to know if I could find a picture of that tattoo. She wanted one, as a tribute to him. We got to talking about it, and she burst out laughing when I didn't know the story behind it. "You don't know why he had that tattoo?"
"Nope."
"He got drunk on shore leave in England. The guys had that done to him while he was passed out. Didn't want him going on his first shore leave abroad without getting a little pussy."
I did not know that. And I think I love him more. Differently now, but more.
My tattoos have different stories, but my granddaughter knows them.
I have a giant rose on my upper left arm. Hey, if the Old Man was man enough to sport a kitty.... Its leaves show below my short sleeve shirts, looking like marijuana to some, and I have to raise it now and then to show them what it is, a tribute to the women of my life. My mom was Diana Rose (and her name is on a petal). Then there was Gramma Rose and my sister Amanda Rose. I have two aunts named Rose, and several of my nieces and my female cousins have Rose in their names.
The other is a turtle, identical to my wife's. It's how we got engaged. The turtle is an emblem of long, steady love, calm and enduring.
My oldest step-daughter burst into tears without any exposition about our turtles when she saw them. She knew what it meant. A symbol far more permanent than a simple ring. To our grandchildren, an intrinsic part of the legends of their lineage