Anathema In '52 Poem by Donal Mahoney

Tattoos were anathema in ‘52
on any man who got one
after an all-night drunk

or to impress a girlfriend.
But not a word was spoken to
a man who made it home

tattooed after serving
with his company in Korea.
Any man who made it back

was welcomed whether
he had Popeye on his bicep
or his girlfriend's name

even if the girlfriend married
someone she had met while he
was digging foxholes in Korea.