Reader advisory: This piece includes themes of suicide and grief.
No one loves a suicide.
Judgments come in
D
E
E
P and W I D E,
Delivering shame,
Stripping dignity,
Exasperating grief,
And robbing recovery.
Yet,
Everyone loves the game,
Not by name—
Though it’s always the same.
Pick your poison—
Coffee and tea,
A remedy for peace,
Provides high anxiety.
Have a little beer or wine—
Fine—if by a little one means
Once in a while, not all the time.
And the answer is yes,
Needing to have it every day
Is all the time.
Oh, and then there’s speed,
Not like caffeine,
But the kind found
On Route 80 anywhere USA.
Memorialized by flowered crosses.
No one loves a suicide,
Unless it is their’s to commit.
They judge and shun and
C
o
n
n
d
e
m
n
To hell.
Before ringing their own bell—
Seized, clogged,
Clutching their widow maker.
© 2025 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved.
Tittu
-
Author:
Tristan Robert Lange (
Online) - Published: July 30th, 2025 08:15
- Comment from author about the poem: This poem engages with a raw and potentially triggering subject. It is not meant to condone suicide, nor to retraumatize anyone who has lost a loved one to it. Rather, it is meant to serve as a scalpel—cutting through the layers of societal judgment, exposing our failure to see the humanity in others, whether in life or in death. Who can judge? None of us. If you or someone you know is struggling: In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline—available 24/7. International readers can find support through https://findahelpline.com, a global resource connecting individuals to mental health services in over 100 countries. You are not alone. Help is available.
- Category: Sociopolitical
- Views: 5
Online)
Comments2
(Aside: One day it would be awesome to discover the back story and origins of Tittu.)
Now look at that juxtaposition of everyday vices—coffee, wine, speed—with the raw judgment aimed at suicide cuts straight to the heart of how we normalise some escapes but ostracise the most desperate one. As a fellow writer who’s lived through caffeine-fuelled all-nighters and the creeping pressure to “keep it together,” your lines resonated on so many levels.
Excellent write Tristan
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