Vision

The Electric Michelangelo opens with a young Cy Parks trying to not to see reality in the bloody basins he handles. The organ of sight, the eye, is constantly in focus. The sight of an abortion in progress confuses the young boy's attitude toward his mother. The sight of a beauty queen's erect nipples begins molding Cy's attitude toward sex and the sight of his best friend kissing the first girl he loves finishes the process, locking Cy in a loveless if not sexless existence. The sight of Riley's striking blue eyes immediately creates a bond to the gruff old man and the sight of Riley's steady hand and richly tattooed body conquers Cy's doubts about accepting an apprenticeship. Riley's tortured hand, tragic as it is in itself, blinds the tattooist to any reason to go on living and leads to his suicide. Watching the sun set over...