Tristan Robert Lange

the clearing

i can make a path.

i can clear a space—

rid of all trees and debris—

sacred and arcane;

yet i still come

with my name

the burdens—

my pain—

you see,

that’s genuine

to me—

they’re the lens

through which

i see.

still,

in the stillness,

within this space

forest deep,

cleared of debris,

something—

a wisp-like breeze—

brushed me

feather-like

light, gentle

an itch appeared

and spoke to me

and begged me

not to scratch—

to let it be—

and from that

invitation

in the silence,

in the forest clearing

down the path—

in the deep—

came an epiphany:

what is genuine

to me

shall not confine

what is

genuinely me.

© 2026 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved.

First published on tristanrobertlange.com, May 6, 2026.