Freckled
My only tattoos were formed by time

On my skin I see memories;
freckled reminders of moonlit nights
and warm days spent in the sun.
Each spot, a tattooed moment in time.
A souvenir, tracing my journey
from babe to woman,
from her to me,
from then to now.
I see the lines form under my eyes
and cross my skin.
Lines shaped by rivers of time -
flowing, as blood flows through my veins,
around lentigo islands
through mountainous tissues
and hills of mole and tag.
I see, in the reflection of my eyes,
traces of past, specks of present
and a glint for the unknown
of a future I’ve not yet met.
I smile at the sun-freckled face in the mirror,
and she smiles back,
both of us knowing
that I’ve been and am
where and who I’m meant to be.
Born of stardust.
Mapped by sunbeams.
Grounded in respect.
About the Creator
Cathy holmes
Canadian family girl with a recently discovered love for writing. Other loves include animals and sports.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives


Comments (24)
Wow, that was awesome, my friend. This challenge was fierce. So glad this got HM. That ending especially was gold! Congrats, Cathy!
Congratulations on Honourable Mention 🤩… well deserved, clever take on the challenge… & life.
Congratulations on honourable mention, I am sorry I missed this one the first time out.
oooooo! This was good Cathy!! Congrats on honourable for the tattoo this challenge!! I love the born of stardust line the most!!
Wooohooooo congratulations on your honourable mention! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Congratulations on your honorable mention!
Get it gurl! That was exquisite! BRAVO Cathy! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I love how gentle this is! There was something about "from her to me" that really struck me. Something about where it was in the poem that made it hit hard! Such a beautiful poem!
And so we should respect ourselves, indeed. I loved these gentle descriptions! Very sweet.
I’m absolutely obsessed with this, Cathy! Oh my gosh, resonated to deeply. “Mapped by sunbeams” just perfect! I always say my freckles and wrinkles are just evidence of all the sunrises and sunsets I’ve had the privilege of witnessing. Loved this piece so much! I’d tat that! 😉🥰💫🩷
"Each spot, a tattooed moment in time." is such a perfect and wonderful line! This is a fantastic poem, Cathy!
Beautifully written. Great work!
This is gorgeous work! Not one line wasted, and just layer on layer of meaning
Well-wrought! "We are stardust, we are golden."
Best earned tats ever!
This is incredibly beautiful. Freckles are stunning. Such a lovely way to embrace it! Adore this piece 💝🌟
This is lovely and I truly FEEL it!!
This is a beautiful reflection on the artistry of time, experience and age, Cathy! I love it! Although my lines are starting to resemble scrimshaw more than tattoo!
This is great, Cathy!! And a great way to look at freckles! <3 So positively wonderful <3
As a freckled and spotted Irish person, I find this especially familiar and affecting, Cathy! Great work!
Oh friend, I love this so much! What a superb poem and line.
This is such a lovely tribute to you freckles
I love it, Cathy. Beautiful entry. ⚡💙⚡
Well written ♦️♦️♦️My sister had reddish hair she had lots of freckles me I am dark but don’t have any ♦️♦️♦️♦️