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. 🤘💀🖤
Alone in a dark wood sits a well—
Stone, strong, sturdy—
Its head made of ebony,
Dark, shaded, yet shimmering in light
F i l t e r i n g
Though spiderwebbed branches.
Drawing closer it grows in size,
Built as one of stature.
The moss emits neon green
Around wraithgray iron ore.
The well walls run with rust,
Its tears are oxblood rivers
Oozing outside upon dry rock.
This well seems unwell,
Yet, still, it is inviting,
Alluring—
It calls with orange glitter,
Effervescent peat,
And radiant shadowood;
All covered with phantom seep.
The call reverberates:
Lean over,
Peer down,
Search deep—
Just a little more for sight.
The fall could happen quick,
And no matter the outer visage,
Inside the well is sick—
Its walls a spectral stream,
Absorbing the moon’s gleam
Like tar paper.
This isn’t a trap.
It’s a choice:
To stay outside where it seems sound,
Or to plunge into the darkness around.
What lies within is not the sin—
But the wellhead that dares to cover it.
© 2025 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved.
First published on tristanrobertlange.com, February 25, 2025.
Tittu
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Author:
Tristan Robert Lange (
Offline) - Published: February 25th, 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: Gothic
- Views: 18
- Users favorite of this poem: Friendship, RSM0812, Salvia.S, Poetic Licence
Offline)
Comments6
A most metaphoric write I believe (but could be wrong) A well that provides life giving water tainted (it is unwell). This has to be deliberate wording. What is unwell but life giving water turned to water that takes life. A facade of what it is supposed to be left to choice, stay out or fall in. Falling in leads to illness. Nicely done Tristan.
Soren, this is a sharp and generous read. The “life-giving water tainted” angle is exactly the fracture line I was exploring. It isn’t about the depth itself…it’s about what presents as safe above it. Your insight honors the layers here. Thank you, my friend. 🕳️🌲🔥🙏
You are most welcome Tristan yet I remain unsettled with feelings that there is still more here that lays above ground as well as below. A good poem eats at a persons thoughts long afterward
Amen! That stokes me up to know that, my friend. Glad it is sitting with you. 😊🌹🙏
We will say - Well, well, P - what you been up to? But tell him not to answer that! lol.
All that can be heard is…glug…..glug glug glug glug.
Echoing all the way up the…well…you know! 🤣
Well written. Your poem explores the dual nature of temptation and the allure of the unknown, juxtaposing the inviting exterior of the well with the ominous potential of what lies within. It raises questions about choices, the nature of desire, and the consequences of delving into dark or hidden aspects of life. The well is located in a dark wood, symbolizing a point of decision or temptation. The well represents both a source of intrigue and a potential danger, inviting the reader to reflect on the nature of desire and the risks associated with pursuing the unknown. aims to provoke thought about the nature of desire, the allure of the unknown, and the choices one faces when confronted with temptation.
Friendship, I appreciate the depth you brought to this…you stepped fully into the symbolic terrain. The tension between invitation and danger is exactly where the poem breathes. Grateful for how carefully you walked it. 🕳️🌲🔥🙏
Very descriptive and imaginative. Enjoyed a lot. Nice ✍️.
RSM0812, I’m glad the imagery came through for you. I tried to let the atmosphere carry as much weight as the message. Grateful you stepped into it and enjoyed the walk. 🕳️🌲🔥🙏
there's something about them isn't there .. simultaneously compelling and constraining .. something that draws one forward to look deeply and darkly down into the depths .. I've got two, each one distinctly different but that engender the same feelings .. I rarely drink from them these days but again, for different reasons 🖤🖤🖤🐦⬛🐦⬛🐈⬛🖤.. 😎👍
Neville, there really is something about them…you captured that magnetic pull perfectly. Compelling and constraining at the same time is exactly the paradox. I love that you’ve got two of your own living in that space. 🕳️🌲🔥🙏
I know this is about looking into a well, always the temptation to look and explore deeper, and clearly this well isnt well and it would be wise to avoid, but when reading this I couldn't help thinking it's looking into one's own soul, and how it has become tainted over time. Life's actions situations have darkened it overtime, that it now is now feeling unwell and looking in some way to find the right medicine, loved the write,
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