Hal Sirowitz

False Ceremony

On the morning of my Bar Mitzvah –
the Jewish ceremony when a thirteen
year old boy becomes a man –
I jumped out of bed, ran
into the bathroom, and locked
the door. I lowered my pajama bottoms,
so I could examine my penis.
Nothing changed. It still looked
like a boy’s penis. Why was God
giving me a tough time? If He truly
loved me wouldn’t He shorten my nose
and add an extra inch to my penis?

–Hal Sirowitz

Poetry