Tattoo

Ted Kooser’s “Tattoo” is a short poem about lost love and age as expressed through a man’s tattoo. The speaker functions as an observer as they watch an older man who “walks / between the tables at a yard sale” (Line 10). The speaker draws conclusions based on the symbolism of this man’s tattoo and his actions. This is a man who can’t let go of the past and remains permanently bruised by hurt pride and heartbreak.

When the man was younger—the speaker concludes—he got a tattoo of a “dripping dagger in the fist / of a shuddering heart” (Lines 2-3). He did so as a “statement” (Line 1), perhaps to show the world he’d lost love or faced betrayal, the traditional meaning of such a tattoo. Hearts generally represent love, and in this case, the heart’s shape is that of a “fist” (Line 2). The entry of the dagger represents the man’s wound. However, the dagger is not so much stabbing the heart as being gripped by it, as the heart “shudder[s]” (Line 3). The dagger is described as “dripping” (Line 2), perhaps with blood as is traditionally shown in such tattoos. Alternately, it could be wet with tears of grief and/or anger. The unusual thing about the dagger here is that while it’s doing damage to the heart, it continues to be clutched by it, suggesting that the wounded heart cannot give up that which hurts it. The man is still holding on to feeling betrayed by love.

Currently, the tattoo appears as “just a bruise” (Line 3) on the man’s “bony old shoulder” (Line 4). This clearly shows that the man has had this tattoo for many years. The placement of a commemorative tattoo is often on the shoulder. However, the speaker suggests, that for this particular subject, the tattoo rests on “the spot / where vanity once punched him hard (Lines 4-5). This description of his “vanity” (Line 4) suggests that the man was originally convinced that his passion would be returned but that it wasn’t, hence the “dripping dagger” (Line 2) through the heart. The word vanity can also express something that was worthless or futile, or done in vain. The phrase “punched him hard” (Line 5) implies that the love interest’s denial of him—or the futility of his own feeling—was something damaging to the man’s sense of self. It seems “the ache lingered on” (Line 6), and the betrayal or rejection was impossible for him to get over.

The speaker notes that the man “looks like someone you had to reckon with” (Line 7) and may once have been “strong as a stallion, fast and ornery” (Line 8). Stallions are known to be strong and aggressively tempered horses. Further, “ornery” (Line 8) is defined as being ill-tempered, combative, or unreasonably stubborn. This implies the man was, at least at one time, used to getting his way, perhaps even using overt strength, or violence, to get it. Even now, the man has “the sleeves of his tight black T-shirt / rolled up” (Lines 11-12) to show the tattoo despite the colder air. The speaker believes he does this in order “to show us who he was” (Line 12). This would align with the quality of “vanity” (Line 5) mentioned earlier. It also shows that the tattoo has become a proverbial chip on his shoulder and that he will always carry forth his grievance at being wronged.

Yet, this former aggression contrasts with the lack of physical strength the man possesses now. In the present, he is “only another old man” (Line 13), wandering “between the tables” (Line 10) of the sale. He keeps “picking up broken tools and putting them back” (Lines 13-14). This action of searching for the right tool makes him seem vulnerable as he seemingly cannot find it. Symbolically, this could represent either the tool itself, a cure for his heart, or the right companion. This is in dramatic contrast to his virile and vain past. Wandering alone, the man seems to the speaker to have a “heart gone soft and blue with stories” (Line 15). His initial heartbreak, “the spot / where vanity once punched him hard” (Line 4-5) has bruised his entire life.