Notice of absence from Tristan Robert Lange
Life is full of seasons. This is a season of transition for me, where I will be moving with my family to a new location. As such, with much logistics to consider, I am doing my best to keep up. Please know if I accidentally don't respond, it is not because I am ghosting or becoming distant. Once things settle after the move, I am sure life will return to some normalcy. In the meantime, and always:
Read 👓, Write ✍️, Rise 🌅, Realize 🤯.
Tristan 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
Life is full of seasons. This is a season of transition for me, where I will be moving with my family to a new location. As such, with much logistics to consider, I am doing my best to keep up. Please know if I accidentally don't respond, it is not because I am ghosting or becoming distant. Once things settle after the move, I am sure life will return to some normalcy. In the meantime, and always:
Read 👓, Write ✍️, Rise 🌅, Realize 🤯.
Tristan 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
Once upon a dreamy reading—ravens cawed—my heart was beating
Even faster than a widow maker ever has beat before.
I browsed Scripture, holy prompting, rapidly I found it daunting.
Now upon this dreamy reading—ravens caw—my heart still beating,
Hope this feeling’s truly fleeting, completely gone—gone—I implore.
It is terrible, I declare—beating—my heart feels as if it’s bleeding.
I scan Scripture, holy prompting, I continue to find it daunting.
Still within this dreamy reading—ravens crow—my heart speed-beating,
As if it’s about to remember my past and settle the score.
Hope this reading’s truly fleeting, completely done—done—I implore.
It is horrible, I decry! Bleeding, my heart pangs—still beating
Here within this draining reading—ravens stare—my heart jump-beating,
I search Scripture, instinct urging, it continues to grow daunting
As if to resurrect my bitter past and settle that old score.
Within this tome there’s nothing more than a mirror for me to pore.
I hope this image’s fleeting—completely over—I implore.
It’s horrible, I decry—beating—my heart hurts as it’s bleeding
Here within this draining reading—ravens squawk—my heart jump-beating,
I search the Word, panic driving, it has risen beyond daunting
For it’s resurrected my bitter past and is settling that score.
There is no escape, no place to hide—I am stuck here inside
Within this tome—this tomb—there’s nothing left, no pride to restore.
I hope this dark state’s fleeting—totally over—I implore.
It’s horrible, I decry—beating—my heart hurts as it’s bleeding
I search the Book, horror stalking, it has transformed to a haunting
For it’s resurrected my horrid past and is a most consuming spore.
Here stuck in this killer reading—ravens’ beaks—my heart skips beating,
If I had learned long ago, if I had swallowed my pride, I am sure
There’d be an escape, no need to hide—no prison here inside.
I know this state’s not fleeting—forever weather—what’s to explore?
It’s imminent, I proclaim—bleeding—lungs filled, I am not breathing.
I drop the Book—death’s gaze staring, it has murdered me—this haunting
Resurrected, embodying my horrid past; a tragic score.
Here stuck in this death position—ravens peck—my chest-meat gristled
Even more as the widow makers continue to peck and gore.
© 2026 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved.
First published on tristanrobertlange.com, May 15, 2026.
Tittu
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Author:
Tristan Robert Lange (
Offline) - Published: May 15th, 2026 08:11
- Comment from author about the poem: This poem largely converges trochaic octameter (the primary meter of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven) with my original Revelatory Cascade form.
- Category: Gothic
- Views: 18
- Users favorite of this poem: Allie561, sorenbarrett, GenXer Sharon 🙏🍀, Friendship, Teddy.15
Offline)
Comments10
This is such a powerful write Tristan. It reminds me of that Edgar Allen poem “The Raven” with the repeated mentions of the beating heart as said in your comment. It starts off slow but you can feel the panic arise in that first line, it then progresses into a quicker panic. The imagery of flipping the pages faster adds a suspense that keeps me holding my breath. And then finally the realization that there is no escape as we’ve blocked the exit. This is truly wonderful and so much deeper than the words. Great job my friend.
Allie, thank you so much, my friend. I honestly love that this pulled you in the way it did...especially that feeling of the panic building and the breathing getting tighter as it goes on. And yes...you totally caught the Poe DNA in this one. Which I was hoping would come through immediately. Haha. Also, that you wrote “we’ve blocked the exit” really stuck with me too, because that’s exactly the kind of trapped feeling I was writing from here. So your comment has made my day, my friend. Truly grateful for you and your thoughtful read. 🪶🫀📖🖤
I’m so glad this resonated with you, I’m really happy it made your day. Hoping for more poems to come friend!
Popeye may be a widower, but he brought it on himself, as Olive Oyl had to leave before the glugs drove her mad! lol. This is all true, of course. heehee. Or at least she spends 23h 59m out of the house, if she has not left altogether.
Orchi…somehow I can see Popeye becoming the true widow maker because the glugs finally drove Olive Oyl into permanent tactical retreat... makes perfect WACT sense! 🤣 I can absolutely picture him sitting there with ravens perched around him, possibly pecking glug and brine from his mouth, while Olive spends practically the entire day avoiding the house. I mean, can one blame her? Dial in 1-888-888-WCAT to vote now. Results will be announced never! 🤣 🪶🫀📖🖤
That sounds like a dark confession...
Lorenz, thank you so much. It absolutely is meant to feel like a dark confession…less spoken outwardly and more dragged unwillingly into the open while the speaker is trapped inside his own reckoning. 🪶🫀📖🖤
Very nicely done Tristan I could tell from the very first it had the same meter and well crafted at that. It maintains a spooky aura as well with the darkness of the Raven. The issue of reading scriptures to this beat and tone is a most interesting venture. Is it to ward off the demons or to call them up? A fave my friend.
Soren, thank you so much, my friend. I’m really glad the Poe-inspired meter carried through clearly from the start while still letting the piece become its own strange creature. Thank you for your time, thoughts, and fave. Deeply appreciated. 🪶🫀📖🖤
My pleasure my friend
Tristan!!! This one should receive thousands of likes!!!! This one is different from ones I’ve read which is what makes it so intriguing!
Sharon, I truly appreciate that! I intentionally leaned hard into the Poe-inspired rhythm and darker psychological atmosphere on this one, and wanted to see how that worked with my form. I was pleasantly surprised with the result and so I’m really glad the uniqueness of it came through clearly. Deeply grateful, my friend. 🪶🫀📖🖤
Away with Poe’s poem (not because there’s anything amiss with those comparisons – they are spot on and I have a feeling in my water there will be more to come) but I’m interested in why, presumably the bible. caused you so much anguish. Your tortured soul came through loud and clear.
And in case there’s any doubt – That poem flowed for me, Tristan.
Dave, thank you kindly, my friend. And yes, the Poe comparison is absolutely intentional, particularly in the meter and atmosphere, though I wanted the poem to become its own thing emotionally rather than simply echo The Raven. I suspect you are right though…there may indeed be more visits from that particular ghost down the road 🤣🪶
As for the Bible itself, in my experience Scripture can be both profoundly comforting and deeply confronting. Sometimes it feels like hope, peace, wisdom, grace…and sometimes, when one’s soul or psyche is unsettled, it can feel almost mirror-like, forcing self-reflection one may not be emotionally prepared for. Not necessarily “religiously” in the narrow sense, but spiritually, psychologically, existentially.
In hindsight, that confrontation can often lead toward healing or positive change, but in the moment it can feel haunting, accusatory, even suffocating. In many ways, the Bible in this poem functions more as a symbolic object of reckoning than a theological statement specifically. It could just as easily have been an old photograph, memory box, diary entry, or unresolved artifact from the past. I chose Scripture partly because it’s usually presented only as comfort or certainty, and I was interested in exploring the other side of that experience as well. I realize the tradeoff is that it immediately frames the poem in a religious context. But such as it is. I truly appreciate you asking.
And I truly appreciate you mentioning the flow. That means a great deal, my friend. Glad it delivered. 🪶🫀📖🖤
For you Scripture and Bible are synonymous, - yes?
And a strong internal dialogue is progressed within the context of your faith.
I really like your willingness to acknowledge other objects/items as having the same value – that feels like someone who possesses a lack of rigidity sometimes found in bible adherents.
Very Gothic in Mood . Good Write.
🤣 Kevin, thank you kindly, my friend. I definitely leaned fully into the gothic atmosphere on this one and just let the ravens, dread, and psychological claustrophobia take over. Glad it landed for you. 🪶🫀📖🖤
This is amazing.Reminds me a little of edgar allan poe but it has its own unique twists and turns.So well constructed I just had to read it twice.Made me think
David, I truly appreciate that read. Hearing that it felt Poe-adjacent while still carrying its own twists and turns honestly means a great deal, because balancing homage with originality was one of the biggest challenges in writing it. Glad it delivered for you, my friend. 🪶🫀📖🖤
Wow a truly wonderful. Piece of timeless poetry. 🌹
🥰 Teddy, thank you so much, my friend. Honestly, hearing “timeless poetry” attached to this strange raven-haunted beast of a poem genuinely means a lot to me. Deeply appreciated, dearest friend. 🪶🫀📖🖤
It's an epic my friend and you and I are both lovers of Poe and the Raven so this is even more than just special my friend it's wonderful poetry. 🌹
Yes, we both are. So that it hit YOU that way really is special to me. Thank you, Teddy! 🥰
Poe would be proud of ya Tristan .. You are quite the master of noir .. 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🐦⬛🐦⬛🐈⬛🐧🖤🖤🖤👍
🥰 Neville, my friend, that is an unbelievably kind compliment. Considering how openly this piece wears its Poe DNA on its sleeve, hearing that honestly means a great deal to me. Deeply appreciated. 🪶🫀📖🖤
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