I think about the litter
of lies in your head
and how you love them
over and over
like pets
the Easter bunny
for example
and how I got carried away
and now you think
he has elves too
or how you trust
that everyone will live
to be a hundred
but for some reason
when it comes to films
we are blunt
your dad stopping every time
to show you the special effects
like where the witch
falls through the floor
and how Oliver’s voice
is dubbed by a girl’s
we must have thought
we were being wise
to pull back the curtain
and so my heart
dropped off its perch last night
when you caught a bit of the news
and said to me
with a relief
glued tight to your face
isn’t it great mama
that bad things
don’t happen
in real life.