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. 🤘💀🖤
The journey,
It is the
Destination
As it turns out.
Common thinking
Is contrary to this—
The journey,
A path we must travel
To reach the end.
And the end—
A justification for whatever means.
Justification—
A word invented out of a root:
Justice.
The journey is not just,
It simply is.
Aucune illusion mensongère ne change la vérité.
Illusion mensongère—
The deluded are the walking dead—
Truth eludes them.
They roam in hordes
Looking to devour life
In order to live.
Yet life, like truth,
Is not theirs to devour.
Their entrails drag
Down beneath—behind them.
The hissing sound of the squandered
squirming zombies
Can be heard for miles—
Mais la vérité avance inexorablement vers la vie.
La vie.
Le voyage.
Le cheminement.
Ils ne sont qu’un seul et même.
Do not be fooled.
Do not get bitten,
For the infection spreads fast,
Fierce.
L’enfer d’un corps,
Le tourment d’une âme.
There is no reason left.
The infection colonizes—
Endless hunger awakens.
Gray matter meal devoured—
Mindless consumption of the mind.
So, yes—
Always remember—
The destination
Is not the journey’s end.
The journey is the end
Of the destination.
Le voyage est la destinée.
POET’S NOTE:
Part of The Thinking Dark collection.
© 2025 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved.
First published on tristanrobertlange.com, March 3, 2026.
Tittu
-
Author:
Tristan Robert Lange (
Offline) - Published: March 3rd, 2026 10:36
- 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: Reflection
- Views: 9
- Users favorite of this poem: sorenbarrett, Poetic Licence
- In collections: The Thinking Dark.
Offline)
Comments3
I like this very much. I was always taught that it is the journey not the destination that matters. Your play with words is the same mental process as focusing on the destination. From the root destined and yet is our journey destined to arrive where we aim. Alterations along the way, sometimes taking the road less traveled lead us to a new end, maybe better that the original, maybe worse but it is the trip not the end of life that makes it worth while. A wonderful write and a fave
Soren, thank you my friend… I appreciate how closely you followed the philosophical turn in the poem. The tension between destiny and journey is exactly the knot I was trying to pull at. I’m glad that play with the words resonated with you. Your reflection about the road shifting along the way adds another thoughtful layer. Thank you for your time, reflection, and fave. All appreciated greatly. 🧠🔥🕯️🙏
My pleasure Tristan
Bit of French there. lol. Popeye visits Francee. he only needs to learn one word - what's French for 'spinach'! lol.
Um…glug…no? 😂🤷♂️
Bit of French here - le or la spinacheee. lol.
Ah yes! Le Spinacheee. Or in the King’s French, les épinards. Glug does seem to be a bit Germanic…can’t be French! 😂
A very enjoyable and interesting read, the journey is the thing that really matters, we all think we have destinations we want to arrive at, but they can change at the drop of a hat and are fruitless to have anyway, because we all end up at the same final destination, so try to make the most of the journey, pleasure to read
Tobani, thank you my friend… I appreciate your thoughtful reflection on the journey and how easily we fixate on destinations that shift or dissolve. That tension between where we think we’re going and what the path actually reveals was very much on my mind while writing this. I’m grateful you took the time to engage with it so deeply. 🧠🔥🕯️🙏
Your welcome
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