Tristan Robert Lange

Salvation Don\'t Slither

Jesus would not stand for

Ornate power over people.

Haughtiness has no place;

Nay, humility is the only way.

Officious officials abuse,

Forgetting their fealty—

Theology must stand true—

Humans are not God.

Everyone: meet a just end.

Come, hither, dear souls!

Rest in the Lord, your God.

Only trust in Love—Love alone—

Salvation is not clerical sanctity.

Salvation also does not slither.

Poet’s Note:

A Scorched Sunday poem. Written for my Scorched Strays series, this acrostic confronts the corruption of spiritual authority when humility is replaced by control and sanctity is confused with power. The poem bears witness to a faith forged in confinement, silence, and surrender, reminding us that salvation does not coil itself around institutions, but moves through love, unmaking, and the long dark work of God beyond clerical grasp.

First published on tristanrobertlange.com, December 14, 2025.

Tittu