Innocence

He sits in a pew with his family
As the preacher shouts bible verses and tilts a deceiving eye toward the ceiling
He watches as his parents nod their heads
And the curtains at the front of the church ripple
And then he looks down at his small black shoes
The only pair that have ever shone
He listens as the man talks about corruption and damnation
Yet he’s seen the blood-stained stairwells of the church
And he wonders if lying is a deadly sin