Fine Art of the New Millenium

I was stopped at a red light the other day and looked to my left. A man, in his mid to late twenties, sat confidently in the driver's seat of a construction truck, waiting for the light to turn green, just as I was. I noticed his body art creeping out of his t-shirt, halfway up his neck. It was at that moment I thought to myself...what is this world going to look like in 20 years? My thought of the moment wasn't about world peace, polluted air, or whether anyone will still drive SUVs. I was imagining 40 to 70 year olds running around with sagging body art and sun-damaged tattoo ink.

Everywhere you look, be it television, or in the newspaper, or even at a stop light on a random day, EVERYONE is wearing the fine art of the new millenium. It seems as if everyone is tatted up in some way or another.

Even my eldest son, Duce...inked for life. I remember when I accidentally discovered his tats. It was the fall of his senior year. He was asleep and I walked into the boys' room for yet again another "GET UP NOW!" start to the morning...when I saw his arm...and God forbid...a tattoo!! I was shocked! I couldn't believe my eyes! I paused...maybe it was a fake tattoo I thought. I grabbed his arm to get a better look, shocking him from his sleep, and as calmly as I could, I asked "what the hell is this???" He jerked his t-shirt sleeve down, trying to conceal what I had already discovered, and fumbled his way out of bed as I demanded loudly that he get up immediately and meet me in the bathroom. I had hoped the better bathroom lighting would ultimately prove that my eyes were deceiving me and I only imagined a tattoo on his arm. If it were real, this meant my "no tattoos/no weird body piercings under the age of 18 (which he was) and as long as you live under my roof!" rule had been broken.

There he stood, wiping his eyes as he tried to wake up, while I examined his arm- touching, poking, rubbing, and stretching his skin. Yep, it was real. And no, I didn't have a brillo pad to try and scrub it off - which I would have had if one were available! The tattoo had been there for quite some time. Void of any raised red areas indicating it was a new tattoo. My shock turned to acceptance. It was his body-his skin afterall. Even though I gave birth to that body, it doesn't belong to me, I thought to myself. He rolled his eyes ten times over as I voiced my opinions about aging skin, the lack of knowledge of where his life will take him in the years to come, and other profound motherly words of wisdom.

It was at that moment, Duce (who I've always said should have been an attorney), began to take off his shirt and gently defend his case. What??? What is that???? Another tattoo permanently stained across his left pectoral muscle! "Mom..." he said. "I wanted to tell you about my tattoos, but I knew you would get mad. But Mom, I love you, and that's why I had your name tattooed across my heart, because you will always be here..." as he patted his hand over the tattoo, "...right here in my heart".

Oh, how sweet. Again - Duce would have made one heck of an attorney. His defense was brilliant. He had taken an unmanageable situation, considering he was smart enough to know he was facing an indefinate period of "grounding", and turned that situation on its heels into a controlled, shining star, center of the stage moment, in which he professed his "forever" love for his mom.

I was touched, really I was, but it didn't change the fact that my boy, my son, was now tatted for life!

Back in my teens and twenties, guys with tattoos were...well...kinda scary! A tattoo usually meant some sort of rebellious incident that may have involved jail time, or a random act of drunkenness during military leave...or even worse - a biker. Not that bikers were bad...but think Hell's Angels and you get my drift.

That was then...and this is now. A world full of tatted up men and women running around expressing themselves in body art. In my little city, I've seen body art sleeves, leg art, and even a guy who had the inside of his ear tattooed.

Again, I think to myself...what will this world look like in 20 years???