Tristan Robert Lange
secondhand
the glass is rose-colored
the drink
still looks black as cancer
and spreads
just the same
in me
a flaming flurry
of fear
forever fomenting inside
death chills
full like still-term births
not worth
aborting that which
is dead
but not without
the dread
of a martian on venus
v-day’s
voracious viper vapes
venom
and I’m left inhaling
the smoke
secondhand
© 2025 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved.