On my right arm
a skull mocks the living.

On my chest a cunning tiger
guards his crimson jungle.

Ink is not always a battle-hardened mast,
nor defiance of gusts and gales.

There are colors, eminent hues,
which only cling to obscurity’s skin,

Sacred frescoes which only
belong to oblivion’s vaults.

The tattoo artist knows his canvas is frail.
Serenely, he foresees the destruction of his work.

…

Jean G. Burset Catinchi (San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1993). Author of Herrumbre (Riel, 2019).