The Tattooed Poets Project: Sammi Skolmoski

Our next tattooed poet is Sammi Skolmoski, a returning contributor, who first appeared last year here on the Tattooed Poets Project.

She tells us, "Just like last year, my poem isn't tattoo-based, but my tattoo is literary-based ... and I think my poem fits with the tattoo." I was pleased to see this, as it's from one of my favorite books:

Sammi explains:

"Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals? is a line from the first page of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. While H.S.T. was referring to imaginary bats, this is a sentiment I often utter in the company of fellow human beings. We are odd, deplorable creatures who suffer greatly from a lack of subtlety and an excess of ego, but make for excellent objects of observation. We are the misfit sludge-mounds of earth, and, for those of us who know it, it's magnificent entertainment."

She credits this ink to "some guy at a party giving out free tattoos."

Here is the poem Sammi sent us:

GOD LOVES ME BECAUSE I’M DISGUSTING

Is it eclipse or dual dilation?
Or pre-mitotic ovulation?
Or post-? All filthy deviation
from (rampant rumored) ripe salvation.

Velocity and scope of pattern,
intestine wrapped ‘round booming Saturn--
his own dark matter so excessive
must pride our shit as art expressive.

All crispest human minds devoted
yet birthing stupor ne’er decoded:
even glist’ning spray of stars sublime’s
just cosmic schmutz on the sleeve of time.

Narcissism ever-present in
we mounds of sticky stellar resin
wading in goop of ancient mudpool
gummy galactic oil puddle.

Lest forget sins from tacky tarpit
to soul pollutants (even cosmic)
reflect rich rippling discs of rainbows
when viewed above from diff’rent angles.

~ ~ ~

Sammi Skolmoski is a writer, multimedia artist, bookbinder & florist living in Los Angeles who curates a quarterly art & lit zine called the "Moon Halo Preservation Society Zine” and sporadically contributes to the alt-weekly San Diego Citybeat. Her eyes are usually fixed upon meteors, flowers, trees or words while her ears belong to her vinyl. Check out her tumblr, madness, barely.

Thanks to Sammi for her second contribution to the Tattooed Poets Project on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission.

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