if
by accident or by decision
you tattoo something indelible
noble or nasty
onto a writer’s divining heart,
for better or for worse, he
will wed or divorce you
of course, in a purely artistic fashion
with this pen, I thee ink …
an entire lyrical poem
or perhaps one verse
in a love song also depicting other tattoos
including ones you never knew about
even if
in one of his least acclaimed works
to you he dedicates
just the thin torso, a short limb, or the frail tail of a consonant
especially y
(which can also stand as a vowel
and sound like a pressing question)
you will know
when you discover that one clever line
where the memory of you is present
but hidden
the writer you tattooed
tattoos you back
with his eleventh finger
more mighty than a king’s sword