Lost

I am the bar mitzvah boy,
Solid, assured that mine is the one true path.

I am the adult,
Exposed, shaky, no longer certain of anything.

I am the bar mitzvah boy.
I see a man before me, whose path is not as mine.
I know him not.

I am the adult.
I see a boy before me, young, sheltered,
secure in his innocence.
I knew him once.

I am the bar mitzvah boy.
“Who are you,” I say, “that you walk a different road?
Don’t you know that my road is smooth and simple,
free of blockage, of doubt? You choose a way I cannot abide.”

I am the adult.
“Will you not accept me as I am, as I have become?
I did not expect to walk where I do.
I do not know where I am.
Will you not extend a hand in support, as I choose my path?”

I am the bar mitzvah boy.
I turn from him. I see him not.

I am the adult.
He turns away. I am alone.

I was once the bar mitzvah boy. Now I am the adult.
How did this happen? Where am I? How did I get here? Where am I going?
Who am I?

Yossi transferred from YU in 2010 and is currently studying Computer Science at University of Illinois at Chicago.