“What about a teakettle? What if the spout opened and closed when the steam came out, so it would become a mouth, and it could whistle pretty melodies, or do Shakespeare, or just crack up with me? I could invent a teakettle that reads in Dad’s voice, so I could fall asleep, or maybe a set of kettles that sings the chorus of ‘Yellow Submarine,’ which is a song by the Beatles, who I love, because entomology is one of my raisons d’etre, which is a French expression that I know.”
This is my second tattoo, done by Alex Passapera at Vermont Custom Tattoo and Piercing in Burlington VT. My father was recently diagnosed with cancer, and he is the most important person in my life. While I was processing this, I reread one of my favorite books: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (which, yes, has now been turned into a movie, which no, I am not happy about.) I read this quote, and knew I needed to keep him with me forever, no matter what happens. I need him here, so I can fall asleep. Getting this was an amazing experience. I thought about my dad and our memories together. It was a great way to come to grips with what was happening and I’ll always love it.
