Some people desire to be
Presidents who set
Precedents
Who make their country greater,
Or who, more than likely,
Deeply desire
To make themselves great
Again,
Presuming they ever really were.
But, did it ever occur to such a mind,
That presidents, too, are in the same bind,
As every president, king or emperor
Before them?
Alexander, who?—
Ah, yes, the Great—
And for it wait, though
He could have slayed
One for saying it,
He no longer rots
Resting in his great pit.
Shit, how about Caesar—
Not the salad
But bronze Julius?
Dead.
Nero?—
Definitively died no hero.
Marie and Louis?—
C’est un obscur cloaque
Où leurs têtes sont enfouies.
George, Thomas, Teddy, or Abe?
Black hill granite busts
After which orange Julius lusts—
Yes their stone faces groan,
Eyes roll, and faces palmed—
Dead. Immovable.
But more corruptible;
Stoned—
Bad trips included—
History continually disputed.
Within legacy, what lies?
Regardless of that mixed bag,
Nobody should be surprised,
That a dead president’s legacy
Is filled with those who loved,
And, often more
By those who despised.
It’s designed,
Future presidents,
That whichever precedents
You end up setting...
It is the presidency
That will end up setting
You
In history’s bower
Of bludgeoned bones.
© 2026 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved.
First published on tristanrobertlange.com, August 10, 2026.
Tittu
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Author:
Tristan Robert Lange (
Offline) - Published: August 10th, 2026 10:01
- Comment from author about the poem: Part of the Truth, Applied collection.
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 17
- Users favorite of this poem: nephilim56 ( Norman Dickson), Nerd, Tristan Robert Lange, Teddy.15
- In collections: Truth, Applied.
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Comments7
A great write Tristan. I used to be a fan of a few until I learned of their follies and sins now I think of them all as the ones in Point Break where the dead presidents were a rubber faced band of crooks although they were much more loveable than the real ones. Nicely written my friend
LOL! Thank you, Soren! I hadn’t even thought about Point Break when I titled this...but damn, those Dead Presidents may indeed have been the more lovable bunch! 🤣 And yes, learning the follies and sins behind celebrated historical figures certainly has a way of knocking them off their pedestals. Much appreciated, my friend! 💀🏛️🇺🇸🙏
My pleasure my friend
Most of them want their time in history, good or bad.
Some will be remembered for great things.
But the ones they make films about are usually mass killers.
Indeed, Paul! Everyone wants their place in history...but history gets the final say about what that place actually looks like. Greatness, failure, brutality, disgrace...they all have remarkably long memories. Thanks so much, my friend! 💀🏛️🇺🇸🙏
a deep thoughtful write whose wisdom will doubtless be ignored by such presidents and kings etc
LOL! Thank you, Norman! I suspect you’re right, my friend...those most desperate to become immortal through power probably aren’t interested in hearing that history eventually gets the final say. Much appreciated! 💀🏛️🇺🇸🙏
always welcome
Good write T.
Thanks so much, Orchi! Glad this one delivered, my friend! 💀🏛️🇺🇸🙏
It’s a new fear, to know that whoever will be chosen to be our president or higher up to control our country hoping for the good, but we always end up in the bad
A touching and relatable poem
And I like the part when the language changes for two lines
Thank you, Nerd! Indeed...there’s always that hope that whoever takes power will use it for good, and history certainly gives us plenty of reasons to worry otherwise. And I’m glad you caught the language change...Marie and Louis simply demanded a little French! 🤣 Much appreciated, my friend! 💀🏛️🇺🇸🙏
This is a sharp, irreverent walk through the graveyard of political ego, reminding every would-be great leader that history eventually strips the damn crown away. The wordplay and rapid-fire references keep it lively, but that final reversal—where the presidency ends up setting you—is the real gut punch.
Thank you, Thomas! You got exactly where this was headed...all the ego, power, monuments, and aspirations toward greatness eventually surrender to history. Presidents may spend their lives setting precedents, but in the end, the presidency sets them. Much appreciated, my friend! 💀🏛️🇺🇸🙏
A true President will lead with peace and logic a passion for what is right (justice) the others will cause riots. 🌹
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