When I was in Copenhagen, my friend and I wanted to get tattooed. I found a tattoo shop called Barking Iron. There I saw the flashing profile of a sad woman with black hair and a winged body in traditional American style. But I didn’t find the right meaning for the tattoo. All my other tattoos had a meaning. But I figured that eventually, I would understand the meaning of my tattoo. The next day, after my tattoo had healed, I sat outside my hotel to smoke a cigarette and read. A pretty young woman sat alone at the other table. She had black hair and very lightly tanned skin. I had seen her a few times and she was always alone. She seemed lonely to me. We smiled at each other and finally, she came over to me. We talked about many things, including deep things. She was half Danish, half Afghan. Finally, the topic of tattoos came up. I showed her my various tattoos and their meanings. As I showed her the woman, I explained to her that I will eventually understand the meaning of this tattoo. Then she said in a critical voice: Who the hell gets a tattoo without meaning!? I had to laugh. She showed me her tattoos. She had an anchor on her shoulder and little seagulls on her ribs. The seagulls meant she could fly, that she would see the world. And the anchor has always kept her where her home is. I found that to be a beautiful meaning. But as the conversation continued, she told me that she was unhappily married because her husband prevented her from traveling, that she only works and therefore has no time to do what she wants. I asked her why she lived like this if it made her unhappy. After a long pause, she told me that she didn’t know. She was the sad woman with black hair whose wings were caught.
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