Julien Berman
Lost
When in the course of my many events
I stumble far from the pack
Like the fathers of America
I panic, agonizing over each step forward.
The King’s last breath goodbye to the one being lost
Is a sultry blessing;
It splits the metal shackle tying the colony down.
And lets America explore passion.
But it is also a curse; America’s becoming lacks purpose
And thus she is prone to rambling
And so, getting lost has two meanings, don’t you see?
The only difference is that one is intentional.
But is that really a difference?
Aren’t they both purposeful?
When I escape the chains tying me to my family
I am lost to them, but I am not lost.
I fall under the first definition
Reveling in my newfound opportunity and agency
When I stumble off into the woods sometime by accident,
I am lost to my world, but I am not lost.
I fall under the second definition,
Exalting in my rambling reverie.
So you see, neither definition actually defines the word lost
Simply the state of being apart.
That brings us to the word found;
Is the state of being found in opposition to being lost?
Is it running back to where you were before?
No, that’s just returning, and so you mustn’t have been lost.
Is it waiting for another one to see you?
No, what if you are metaphysically lost?
To me, it’s all a question of want.
Do I want to be found?
So please tell me:
How do I know if I am lost, and how do I know if I am found?
And after,
Is the nation lost?
Will it ever be found?
Julien Berman is I am a junior at Georgetown Day School. His poetry and short stories have won Gold and Silver awards in the national Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards in 2017-19, and his poetry won the 2019 Jaclyn Miller Poetry Competition sponsored by The bWord Works, in Washington, DC. He has also been a classical violinist since the age of 3, and he recently won the 2019 Cogen Concerto Competition in Washington, DC.
SUBMIT to What Rough Beast via our SUBMITTABLE site.
If you enjoyed today’s poem and you value What Rough Beast, consider making a donation to Indolent Books, a nonprofit poetry press.