New Bukowski Leg Sleeve Tattoo: “Let It Enfold You”

Recently received an email from a fellow Bukophile and have been communicating with him for a month or so about his amazing full leg tattoo which is based on Bukowski’s 10 page poem “Let It Enfold You” which first appeared in his posthumous collection Betting On The Muse (2006).

If you can spare the time, have a quick read of the poem here on PoemHunter.com: https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/let-it-enfold-you/

The Buk fan who lives in Lexington Kentucky was keen to contact Bold Monkey about his emerging Bukowski tattoo created by the artist Sara Huser of Castle of Color Tattoos. He attached some photos and the following message, in part:

 ”It's no where near complete, but I wanted to share it and let you know I appreciate your posts! Bookmarked and check in regularly. 

Let It Enfold You was the first poem I ever read and it absolutely changed my life... I gave my tattoo artist my leg and the poem, she has done everything else without substantive input... As you can see, it's unreal…I want to try and let people know how talented she is! 

This is just one section, my shin, the entire leg is covered, but none of it is entirely finished yet. Every word and line was taken from the poem exclusively. 

Passing it along because you might appreciate it!”

I certainly have! As you scroll down the page and view the changing perspectives on the latest work on his leg, you’ll have to admit that Sara’s Buk tatt is amongst the most complex and sophisticated you've seen.

He explained to me the concept  behind the poem, “I just gave Sara the poem and my leg, she did all of the rest, with complete autonomy, all I asked was that she put the poem into my skin, and she absolutely killed it."

The poem let it enfold you is written from the perspective of Bukowski as an old man and he reflects on his fucked-up life. His central message is that despite the ugliness and hatred and stupidity he has encountered over the years, he has learnt how to release himself from his hardened shell and to embrace the many simple pleasures and happy discoveries- however ephemeral.

Half way through the poem he describes his hard fought vision:

something in me

relaxed, smoothed

out.

I no longer had to

prove that I was a

man.

I didn’t have to prove

anything.

I began to see things

coffee cups lined up

behind a counter in a 

café.

or a dog walking along

a sidewalk.

or the way the mouse

on my dresser top

stopped there,

really stopped there

with its body,

its ears,

its nose,

it was fixed,

a bit of life

caught within itself

and its eyes looked

at me

and they were

beautiful.

then- it was

gone.

Most of the above lines and close to 200 lines in total from Let It Enfold You have been inked into the fan's skin.

He is clear in explaining his tattoo is a work in progress, "Like I said, it's really incomplete - not a single place is finished being tattooed yet, but I will be sure to update whenever it is.

I've got hundreds of it being tattooed, all the stages throughout, I'm planning on doing a little piece on it once it's completely finished."

Asked today about how many hours Sara has devoted to the project, He says, without a quiver of regret or of the discomfort & pain to follow, "We haven't kept detailed track of the hours, but I'd guess 50 or so, probably just as many left to go."

Stay tuned for further updates on the tattoo.

For more information check out the following links: 

Sara: https://www.instagram.com/slinginsara/

The shop- Castle of Color Tattoos: https://www.instagram.com/castleofcolortattoo