“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.