to a shack
on the side of the road
to have a tattoo removed.
i show the old woman
the name i want removed.
it swirls across my arm
in floral lettering.
she laughs, i did that name
just last week, in fact
three fellows came in with
the same exact name.
boys, she says, shaking her
head, boys. moths to the flame.
so what's it gonna be,
chemical or mechanical?
mechanical i shrug.
she takes me to the back
and hands me a jar of whiskey
and says you might
need this. then gives me
a leather strap off the hook.
that has teeth marks in it.
bite down on this, she says,
distract yourself by
thinking of all the pain
she put you through.
the lessons you learned.
she cranks up a circular
sander, looks me in the eye
and says, shall we begin.
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