Notice of absence from Tristan Robert Lange
Friends, I’m doing my best to keep up with comments. 😅 I’m still current on my own poems and first replies on others’ work, but this season has been a bit of a twister. Figured I’d drop a quick note so you don’t think I’ve vanished or gone flaky.
Read. Write. Rise. Realize. 🤘💀🖤
Friends, I’m doing my best to keep up with comments. 😅 I’m still current on my own poems and first replies on others’ work, but this season has been a bit of a twister. Figured I’d drop a quick note so you don’t think I’ve vanished or gone flaky.
Read. Write. Rise. Realize. 🤘💀🖤
heroes are often
forgotten
in the hands of others
small devices
the output of genius
manipulated by small men
power propelled
from a six-foot deep
funeral bower
© 2025 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved.
Tittu
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Author:
Tristan Robert Lange (
Offline) - Published: February 17th, 2026 08:58
- 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: 35
- Users favorite of this poem: Friendship, Paul Bell, Demar Desu - 德马尔·德苏
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Comments8
Erm, we don't often see him on UK banknotes cos I think he is on the back of £50 notes - the highest denomination for England, I think. That glugger sees him on every one of his bank notes, stashed under his mattress! lol.
Orchi, this made me grin. Trust you to bring banknotes and mattresses into it. There’s something fitting about him ending up on the £50…highest denomination, finally given weight. And of course that glugger would stash them. But don’t say for what, my friend. 🤣 ♟️🌈🖤🙏
I'm sure I saw that glugger on the back of a suspect 9-bob note in the UK! There used to be a 10-bob note (10 shillings) worth 50p in today's UK money.lol.
P and Co...incorrigible, I tell you! Are they then called Glug Notes? 🤣
What is a hero to one a traitor to another. One man's champion another's villain. "Small devices" another perception by genius' and what is genius. Bobby Fisher made mistakes at times. I see a pawn here that may become a queen. Manipulated by small men (politics) where the behind the scenes and the powerful are small men in other ways. The last stanza predicts death or checkmate where the king is dead. Deep my fiend
Soren, I appreciate how you lean into the ambiguity here. Hero, traitor, pawn, queen…you widen the board. That tension between perception and power is exactly the current running beneath this piece. Grateful, my friend. ♟️🌈🖤🙏
My pleasure Tristan
Short but sharp!
Thank you, Marissa. Much appreciated, my friend. ♟️🌈🖤🙏
Well said, and powerful in words. Your poem addresses themes of heroism, manipulation, and the relationship between power and legacy. It suggests that greatness can be diminished by those who do not possess the same level of insight or integrity, reducing the impact of the original genius.
My friend, you drew out the heart of it. Heroism tangled with manipulation, legacy reframed by smaller hands…that is the friction the poem sits in. Your articulation of diminished greatness echoes the funeral image quietly but firmly. Thank you for reading it with depth and care, as always. ♟️🌈🖤🙏
You can be a genius, but you can't be gay as well, doesn't go down well with the rest of the closets.
It sure took a long time for Turing to be recognised and properly thanked.
Which is a shame for one our heroes.
Paul, you captured the hypocrisy cleanly. Genius celebrated, identity condemned…then decades later a formal thank you. That delay says as much as the apology. The shame isn’t his…it belongs to those who couldn’t hold both truths at once. Grateful for your candor, my friend. ♟️🌈🖤🙏
As a moral tale Turing's story should never be allowed to be forgotten. Sorry Tristan, I would have liked to see more of the man beyond his name in the title.
That said, you poem reads as a fitting epitaph.
Dave, this is generous and honest feedback. I aimed for a spare, epitaph tone…something that gestures at genius diminished by smallness. You’re right that there’s more of the man that could be explored. I appreciate you naming both the strength and the gap. ♟️🌈🖤🙏
All thumbs up 👍👍. Great write. When are we going to learn to come out of our narrow judgemental minds and appreciate what needs to be appreciated. How come someone's sexual leanings diminish his gigantic contribution?
My friend, you understood the heartbeat of this poem. The tragedy isn’t just what was done to him…it’s what small judgment can do to greatness. Your question lands heavy because it’s still relevant. Thank you for naming it. ♟️🌈🖤🙏
this rings so deep and true...enjoyed the read
Safina, I appreciate this deeply. “Rings so deep and true” captures the tone I was reaching for…subtle but weighty. Thank you for reading and letting it land with you. ♟️🌈🖤🙏
Yes it did touch me👍👌thanks for sharing ✌️
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