Movie Script 17

MOVIE SCRIPT 17


A man with crowbar, pulls on a lock
Of a door that has not been unlocked in years.

The man has his sleeves rolled up,
He wants to display his tattoo.

It is said to be the only tattoo
Of its kind in existence. Done in Hong Kong.

The tattoo is a mandarin duck with spread wings
Standing on the eye
of a gigantic peacock feather.

He finds an urn, mostly ashes.
It was the ashes of something burned

Many centuries ago. He finds
A human arm, so old

The skin is dried to the bones.
He carefully examines the skin.

On the arm there is a tattoo
Of a mandarin duck with spread wings

Standing on the eye
of a gigantic peacock feather.
He looks at the tattoo on his arm.

His arm is missing.
Now he has only one arm.


Duane Locke

Posted over on Sacramento Poetry