Crosses worn like idols,
fleuRs de la mort, planted
in large, Open, bags—
our national Sin sanctified
as they move in to Scare
the citizens to Ensure
massive Xenophobia
and Angry uprisings.
Menacing mangoes
feel Inherently powerful
as they, Nazi-like, become.
let us finally Ask ourelves,
do we not see it? To not see
is inexcusable Ignorance,
and past Obliviousness
will Never be a sufficient
Safeguard from nemesis.
Poet’s Note:
It turns out not everything is what it seems. This poem asks to be read like evidence—slowly, closely, and with attention to what’s emphasized.
© 2026 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved.
First published on tristanrobertlange.com, January 26, 2026.
Tittu
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Author:
Tristan Robert Lange (
Offline) - Published: January 26th, 2026 08:03
- Comment from author about the poem: I’m published in an anthology featuring authors from across the Poconos, PA. All proceeds benefit the Pocono Liars Club — a collective of authors and editors dedicated to supporting and mentoring local writers. Available in paperback and Kindle, please consider purchasing one and supporting a great cause. https://a.co/d/58uxM69
- Category: Sociopolitical
- Views: 14
- Users favorite of this poem: Friendship, sorenbarrett, Paul Bell, Teddy.15
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Comments7
Our world has changed. I saw the images! Your poem revolves around the dangers of nationalism and xenophobia, particularly as they manifest in societal attitudes and actions. The poet addresses the impact of fear on a community and the consequences of ignorance and obliviousness in the face of rising hatred and division. The imagery of crosses and "fleurs de la mort" suggests a morbid reverence for symbols that divide rather than unite. There is an urgent call for awareness and introspection regarding societal issues.
Friendship, thank you for such a careful and engaged reading. You’re right about the role of fear, symbols, and the cost of ignorance when it goes unchallenged. Alongside that, I was also thinking about how easily those dangers hide in plain sight when we don’t slow down and really look. I appreciate you taking the poem seriously, dearest friend. 🧾👁️🔥🙏
There is a bigger picture here than a single ice cube, a guiding hand that stirs the pot and waits for it to boil over. They add just enough hate and anger to get it to come to a boil and then while all are concerned with the mess they will blame the fire and plunder the kitchen while everyone is concerned with the mess. Good write my friend
Soren, this is a powerful way of putting it. That image of the pot being stirred just enough to boil over captures the manipulation perfectly. The chaos isn’t accidental…it’s engineered. I really appreciate how clearly you named that. 🧾👁️🔥🙏
You are most welcome my friend always a pleasure reviewing your work
A fine and timely write, Tristan.
Thank you so much, Jerry! Much appreciated! 🧾👁️🔥🙏
The world is on the move, fuelled by gold lined streets the west provides.
Though this is usually provided by people smugglers.
Immigration is great, mass immigration not so.
Is the far right moving into power, I would say so.
Will it be pretty, history tells us no.
Paul, thank you for engaging with it. That sense of history moving again…and not gently…is something I feel too. The question of where power drifts, and at what cost, is unsettling, and your comment sits right in that unease. Much appreciated, my friend. 🧾👁️🔥🙏
Good write T. Glug! Oh no, he sneaked in. lol.
Thanks O. Oh good glug! (God is finally glad another G can replace him in that phrase and others 🤣)...he always does, for glug's sake! 🤣
"Obliviousness will Never be a sufficient Safeguard from nemesis." Absolutely not, Tristan. And I guess the oblivious (not everyone, not you and me) will eventually learn when it is too late.
Dave, well said. Obliviousness feels safe right up until it isn’t, and by then the lesson is no longer abstract; instead, it's giving one a facelift with a li'l square 'stache. That tension between warning and consequence is exactly what drove that closing thought. Much appreciated, my friend.. 🧾👁️🔥🙏
I know this would have been hard for you to write dear Tristan because you have a beautiful heart. We are living in a nightmare because the ugly side won a presidential contest, he should have really stuck to being in cameos in films 😢
Indeed, I wish he had. Teddy, thank you for seeing the heart behind it. It was difficult to write, but sometimes the hardest things are the ones that refuse to stay silent. Your compassion means more than you know, dearest friend. 🧾👁️🔥🙏
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