Drowning in a Crowded Room

Lisa stared down at her hands trying to remove what wasn't there. She always played with her hands when she was lost, when her mind couldn't grasp the situation. Her mind raced, trying to escape this reality, escape what she just heard. Bobby sat undeterred, almost defiant of the situation, not realizing the power of words, the way it can change lives...or end relationships. I sat quietly as my eyes darted from one to the other waiting for my reprieve, my lifeline. "Why?" Lisa asked Bobby as she continued to stare down at her hands, almost too embarrassed to look up...or ashamed. "It's their skin, I can't stand the color, it makes me sick, I can't believe you're with one of them!" Finally after what seemed to be an eternity Lisa spoke, placing words in the silence. "Why didn't you tell me this before, I never would have gotten married." Poet and writer Anthony Patton graduated from Los Angeles Trade Tech where he holds a degree. He currently resides in San Diego California. An art and history lover and cyclist, he can often be found either in a museum or on the road.