designed to viewed visually. For accessibility, the text is as follows:
shadows stretch infinitely inward within the scabbed scarab sarcophagus that houses the remains of mummified memories. buried in the xerothermic sand lies the certainty of a camel bird crying foul for forgetting the direction they face. medusa oblongata.
black velvet veritas deliberation on the destruction of destiny. to speak truth is to speak violence against oneself in a world of dishonest delusions. words building worlds that collude with the callous spreading ladder climbing lies up the chain of cross commandos.
deliberation, however, is short lived when it comes to the testimony of truth, for freedom shall not be denied friends among those who forfeit ego for sapientia. minerva meets minutia with a measured mirror, exposing evil enveloped in equivocation.
ironically, mirrors are seldom welcome objects in the land of litany, where logic stands lockstep with lore and legions fill their labyrinthine hearts with lifeless language over logos. Lungless are the wheezing giants gasping for breath and grasping at serpentine straws.
© 2026 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved.
First published on tristanrobertlange.com, February 11, 2026.
Tittu
-
Author:
Tristan Robert Lange (
Offline) - Published: February 11th, 2026 10:12
- 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: Unclassified
- Views: 11
- Users favorite of this poem: Friendship, sorenbarrett, Teddy.15
Offline)
Comments6
You really made me think about this poem. Well done. This poem explores the complexity of truth, memory, and the struggle for clarity in a world filled with deception and ambiguity. It contrasts the weight of buried memories and the inevitability of facing uncomfortable truths with the illusions and lies that often dominate human experience. Yet the poet delves into existential themes of knowledge, self-awareness, and the consequences of disregarding truth in favor of comfort.
Friendship, I appreciate that you sat with this long enough to really wrestle it. That means more than a quick read. The tension between memory and truth is meant to feel heavy…so hearing that it made you think tells me the mirror did its work. Grateful for your reflection, my friend. 🪞🖤🔥🙏
Love the visual with this that is as complex as the poem itself. They appear human shadow hour glasses draining words to mark the time. This one Tristan holds so many metaphors and symbols that it boggles the mind much as modern society does. This image then might be a mirror image as well where truth becomes its obverse and one can not be told from another. I'm giving a fave for the ingenious design of this whole poem
My friend, I love that you saw the hourglass in it. That layered shadow was intentional, but hearing you articulate it that way makes me smile. Time, words, and reflection collapsing into one shape…that’s the tension I was chasing. Grateful you caught it, Soren. 🪞🖤🔥🙏
You are most welcome Tristan always a pleasure
Good write T.
Why thank you dear Orchi! Much appreciated, my friend. 🪞🖤🔥🙏
Not a glug in sight there. lol.
I know...right?!?!?! Wait...did you hear that? A glug! LOL!
Your medusa oblongata just made my medulla oblongata wince big time .. but if you are write, then I shall have to re-think where I hid my serpentine straws 🪰🐈⬛🐦⬛🖤🐧👍
Neville, this made me laugh out loud. If someone has a “medusa oblongata,” does that make them hard-headed? 🤣🤷♂️ Appreciate you stepping into the wordplay with me, my friend. 🪞🖤🔥🙏
I can always count on you to teach me at least one new vocabulary word...! "to speak truth is to speak violence against oneself in a world of dishonest delusions" I like this line a lot, I interpret it as speaking the truth will bring the violence of others upon us. In a poem that leaves me wondering what the truth is...truly fantastic work!
🥷, you nailed that line exactly as I meant it. Speaking truth into a dishonest world does bring violence…backlash from those invested in illusion. That edge is intentional. And the wondering about what truth even is…that’s the tension I wanted to leave hanging. Grateful you saw it so clearly, dear friend. 🪞🖤🔥
Sounds dramatic but the mirror is one of the hardest things a human can face at least at times. Most wonderful poem. 🌹
To be able to comment and rate this poem, you must be registered. Register here or if you are already registered, login here.