Her tattoos tell stories I couldn't imagine

She's grown to crave that reaction

Each line of ink a scar of memories she won't forget

Every name inked in her skin holds another regret

A lifetime isn't long enough to black out her past

And I thought she'd found peace at last

But I'm not a puzzle she could solve

I'm not a puzzle she could solve

As the pieces on her arms evolve, I see lost words and locked up stories

Does she regret those words on her knuckles

Did they hurt?

They all fucking hurt

The clock on her back is for her dad

The day she found out I was the first person she told

She cried in my arms for hours, her tears staining my skin with the memory just the same as hers

She doesn't need it to remember him, she always will

She has it to make sure others know the man he was

I've covered up the scars she gave me

But they'll be on my skin for life

They'll never truly leave me

You're begging for meaning where answers will never satisfy your curiosity

But if you're desperate, I'll tell you

A bear on the chest is a symbol of lost love

Regret and freedom, breaking from tradition

Bare chested we consider a crown, on the ribs

More pain than it's worth

It reminds me not to get attached to anyone

Not to people, at least

Her scars will never leave me

Her tears will be on my skin for life