Tristan Robert Lange
The Photograph
i stare at it,
a polaroid afterimage
haunt of detail—
a shutter flicker—
through a
white instant image frame.
residue of a moment
long gone...
never forgotten.
he never missed a detail,
never missed a moment
to zero in o
n
. never missed...
how i miss him,
his quirkiness,
his humor,
they way he saw
so much meaning
in what others find
trivial.
like this photo,
of a nose,
or rather,
me sketching
a nose—
not a rose—
a nose...
his
nose.
the same detail
i pencil-applied,
he gave it too
when the shutter flied.
this photo—
now held in my hands,
reminds me things went
beyond our plans.
Yet, this fact remain true,
It is a doorway back to you.
It is so much more, my love,
than a tormenting ghost—
is ever a reminder
to me
of who you loved the most.
© 2026 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved.
First published on tristanrobertlange.com, April 18, 2026.
Tittu