Scratching the itch..

It's been an age since I sat in the chair and underwent several hours of body contorting pain.
The buzzing sound of the needles,the smell of the hopefully spotless equipment,and the swollen throbbing of a freshly inked limb are all things of the long distant past....
That is until you get that itch...
That itch that says..
"you've got a gap"
"you haven't had any work done for yonks"
"That fresh piece of flesh needs marking for life"
My god I'm itching now!!!
I'm in desperate need...an old friend of mine recently talked about getting his first tat and BANG....I was there getting my first,then the craving started...and it is a craving...

Ive known I wanted full sleeves since I was a kid,tattoos have always had an air of romance for me...my grandad had a war I.D tat on his forearm and the smudged green mark that stood for his commitment to his country and love for his wife filled me with a swell of pride even then...also the meaning of tats has always been important plus they are a way of standing out and getting noticed and quite frankly with a name like Vane I've hardly ever been a wallflower!
They divide people,my mum hates mine,and people have moved away from me due to the art covering my skin.But I love what the are to me,and I love the fact that I'm along way from finishing..my arms are part done,and the ideas for all the gaps have been pondered and cogitated on for many years..I have no real longing for the pain that comes with the process..it isn't awful but once your adrenalin and endorphins fade (for me that's after around 2 hours) the pain becomes more a severe annoyance rather than agony... the swelling and aftercare can be worse,but in the end, after a couple of weeks of pile cream and clingfilm you look at your new piece and another bit of the jigsaw has dropped into place..another step towards completion..
To a shrink this is probably very insightful but then I already know I'm a vain show off who longs for attention and recognition..and being a painted man gets me plenty of both....
It's not cheap to cover your body in doodles,but that's a good thing...it makes it all the more special...and right now I'm counting the pennies and staring at a blank piece of epidermis that needs something...but what?
A rose and spiders web?
Another skull?
A memorial to someone special?
Or all three!!!
Better get saving...'cos that itch needs scratching!