Denial Poem by Marva Seaton

I saw my friend today,
Her eyes two circles of purple,
Her cheeks were puffed and swollen,
And bore a mark which resembled,
An unfinished tattoo,
Her broken hand was held up,
By a string from her shoulder.

I felt the anger begin within me,
Rushing upward,
Like a raging inferno,
As I asked,
“Who did this to you? ’’
But the anger receded,
To make room for pity,
As the swollen lips parted,
To reveal a loose tooth,
And she looked at me and said,
“Oh I fell! ”