I have twenty-eight tattoos, of which two are visible. On my right arm, over my triceps, I have a black ampersand, about one and a half inches high. I have a black vortex on the inside of my left ankle. I got tired of answering questions ("and what?") about my tattoos, so I had the remaining work done in ink the exact color of my skin. It was tough to persuade the tattoist that this was what I really wanted, and he was a little afraid he would have trouble staying within the lines, but in the end he got interested in the problem. I am virtually covered in tattoos. I teach my lovers to read them but they are otherwise entirely private, except when I get a sunburn and parts of them show up as pale swirls in the red.