Poetry by Sue Finch
Barn Owl Tattoo
The deep musk of night was still on her skin as she shifted her body to morning. The scent of damp threaded leaves and aging pine lifted in the air. The shower would help – sprayed water and soap to begin to lather the cling of damp forest away. And if you’ve ever closed your eyes there to feel only the gentle smooth of washing you too will be aware of that moment when you open them again, think you’re ready to finish now and towel dry. But tell me you’ve not stepped out wanting to be clean skinned, fresh for the day only to find your whole body tattooed with the head of a barn owl. Three on each arm. Two askew on your breasts. And stamped over and over again on belly and legs. Tell me you’ve never turned to find that print in brown, all haunting eyes and hollow between your shoulder blades, tracking your spine. One on each calf strangely purpled by your varicose veins.
Sue Finch is the author of two poetry collections: Magnifying Glass (2020), and Welcome to the Museum of a Life (2024). Her poems have appeared in a number of online magazines and have been featured on the poetry podcasts ‘Eat the Storms’ and ‘A Thousand Shades of Green’. She loves the coast, peculiar things, and the scent of ice-cream freezers. ‘Vortex Over Wave’ was published in 2023 and features a selection of her #ElasticBandPhotos and poems for the full moon.