I was told
Fairy tales were art
and art was not true.
Mermaids were allowed
but not to be believed.
Religion was different.
Religion was real.
Religion was fact.
I wondered
how Noah fit
two of every animal
into a boat.
I wondered
why one story was doctrine
and the other fantasy.
Adults answered definitively.
I learned
certainty was safety
and silence was the price.
