Catholic School Dance

In 8th grade,
Sister Regina proclaimed:
“’MAD’ magazine is Communist propaganda;
reading it could damn your soul!”
She also said:
“All babies that die unbaptized go to limbo;
they have the stain of original sin on their souls.
But, all aborted babies are innocent martyrs
and go directly to heaven.”

I asked if we would be better off,
if we all had been aborted.

I failed religion that year.
Sister Regina told my parents
I was reading ‘MAD’ magazine.

Later, in high school,
Brother Larry joked,
“The church only recognizes limbo
as a dance, everyone is innocent
until they reach knowledge and awareness
of their actions.”

But, who sets the bar?
Are we still unaware or are we all stuck
in limbo, doing a dance, seeing
just how low we can go?