“tattoo”
by gregg shapiro

my father won’t talk about the numbers
3-7-8-2-5 between the wrist and elbow
blue as blood on his left forearm
instead, he spreads himself over me
spilling his protection, like acid, until it burns
i wear him like a cloak, sweat under the weight

there were stories in the lines on his face
the nervous blue flash in his eyes
his bone-crushing hugs
i am drowning in his silence
trying to stay afloat on curiosity
questions choke me and i swallow hard

we don’t breathe the same air
speak the same language
live in the same universe
we are continents, worlds apart
i am sorry my life has remained unscathed
his scars still bleed, his bruises don’t fade

if i could trade places with him
i would pad the rest of his days
wrap him in gauze and velvet
absorb the shocks and treat his wounds
i would scrub the numbers from his flesh
extinguish the fire and give him back his life

analyze how the free-verse structure in the poem “tattoo” by gregg shapiro reveals shapiro’s message.

When first i engaged in this work, i resolved to leave neither words nor things unexamined, and myself with a prospect of the hours which i should revel away in feasts of literature . . –preface to a dictionary of the english language, samuel johnson what is the connotation of the word revel in this passage?

Can someone me *message me for more information*

Announcer two: ladies and gentlemen, following on the news given in our bulletin a moment ago, the government meteorological bureau has requested the large observatories of the country to keep an astronomical watch on any further disturbances occurring on the planet mars. due to the unusual nature of this occurrence, we have arranged an interview with noted astronomer professor pierson, who will give us his views on the event. in a few moments we will take you to the princeton observatory at princeton, new jersey. we return you until then to the music of ramón raquello and his orchestra. the passage is from the transcript of the radio adaptation of the war of the worlds by h. g. wells. instead of including expert interviews, h. g. wells uses a narrator to tell about an alien invasion that occurred a few years earlier. by including expert interviews, how does the radio broadcast change the story most effectively? o. a. it puts the story in the past tense, increasing its personal tone. o o b. it makes the broadcast sound more like a fictional story. o o c. it makes the broadcast sound like a news report. o d. it makes the story sound less believable by changing who presents the story's details.