Tattoos

Otzi The Iceman, murdered in 3,500 BC Shot with an arrow, bludgeoned to death Had 61 tattoos, like a human tapestry His skin was cut in lines and xs Charcoal, rubbed into the wounds An early form of acupuncture? 2,500 years ago a Ukok princess was buried Beneath the Siberian ice beside two warriors, Her bodyguards going onto the next world Her certainties, unsullied She will always be 25, with complex tattoos on her shoulder Ukok royalty had matching marks, an early identification marker? Herodotus noted down in fifth-century Greece, A tattoo was the stamp of a slave or criminal A sign of the human drugs, brutal and feral Thracian women tattooed themselves, Were called Mad Women or The Raving Ones Decorating their legs, arms, necks A cult, claiming supernatural powers Silhouettes of animals -deer and snakes Crusaders and pilgrims were inked As souvenirs of their trips to the Holy Land Holy, hallowed, distinct Coptic Christians tattooed the Jerusalem cross on their arms. To show their religious belief, one step up from charms Tribal tattoos, with waves and lines, is the Maori style, Where each one tells a story. Their facial tattoos show status and family history 17th century sailors first adopted tattooing Bound needles together, dipped in a mixture of ink and gunpowder While all the while, the boat rocked back and forth Out on the open sea, with many a blunder An anchor denoted the sailor had crossed the Atlantic A lucky man or a skilful navigator A dragon meant the sailor had been to China. A turtle meant the sailor had crossed the equator. A superstitious seaman bore tattoos As talismen to guard him against drowning. A pig and rooster on opposite feet were common (as neither animal swims) . The sailors hoped those symbols would be life saving Of the thousand years-old tattoo style of batok, Tapping an ink-dipped thorn into the skin Apo Whang-Od was the last surviving master Up to 100 times a minute taught from mother to daughter The Chiribaya were a pre-Inca culture Several mummies have been discovered Tattooed with scroll work, birds, apes, reptiles, circles Made with soot for healing or scared rituals An ancient Egyptian female mummy Was covered in lotus blossoms, cows, baboons, And "wadjet eyes", a symbol to ward off evil glowers Her tattoos stretched over her hips, arms, back, and neck. She was an important figure with religious powers Amunet, the tattooed priestess of Hathor Was put on earth to protect women through childbirth The drifting sands of time covered her worth The Tarim female mummies of China Were adorned with crescent moons, Owls and scroll patterns. A sign of Goddess worship. A male had sun tattoos upon his temple The two may have been shamans to their people So, if you chose to become one of the tattooed? Which methods of skin imprinting d'you think would suit? Western electric instruments that buzz like bees? Japanese Buddha ivory needles? Burmese pointed sticks? Or amateurs wielding pins and soot? Today, tattoos are seen as very chic David Beckham has 60 tattoos, With a ship under his right armpit Which could be described as unique Katy Price has a pony galloping up her leg Miley Cyrus seected a dream catcher Paris Jackson has seven chakras Justin Bieber's skin is the canvas For a giant rose But beware. Skin stretches and sags Wrinkles and blurs and may be too overabundant And the heart and arrow naming your current squeeze May soon be redundant