Jimmy's Rose Tattoo - Nina Nastasia

Jimmy Rose owns a tattoo parlor

Three times a day

Cooks a spoon of powder

I wash the dishes piled in his tub

If I wait too long he may never stand up

Up

He lies awake on an empty canvas

And tilts his brush

Watching brilliance drip in circles on the floor

And I lay his shirt on the bed

I fall inside picture frames

Breathing in his oil paints

He doesn’t see me

He wanders in

His mouth looks thin

Like a child, he stands there shaking

I can feel his anger choke me

Jimmy Rose works from twelve to five

To pay off the doctor that he prescribes

There’s kerosene in the wishing well

And I throw a penny still holding on to his hand

And I watch him drift, close his eyes

I fall inside picture frames

Breathing in his oil paints

He doesn’t see me

He wanders in

His mouth looks thin

Like a child, he stands there shaking

I can feel his anger choke me

Under the gun

Under my clothes

He’s feeding me

I’ll never know

I’ll never know

I’ll never know

He wanders in

His mouth looks thin

Like a child, he stands there shaking

I can feel his anger choke me