POETRY • SOCIAL COMMENTARY • HUMAN NATURE

crowd pleaser

A grotesque meditation on spectacle, sacrifice, and public appetite

Image: AI-generated using DALL·E and modified by the author. Poetry: Written by Tristan Robert Lange. Human-authored.

there came the day that it was time to flay —

or, rather, be flayed — it wouldn’t be delayed, the villagers all prayed for great, flaying weather.

“hurry, tie it down — that tether!”

how can one then describe, the feeling or the vibe of one’s flesh beginning to wet-peel, under hot and tempered steel,

like the laceration of soft, pruned skin — carving prime rib is to what it’s akin —

nerves strung all the way out like wriggling worms, a painful shout, “i can’t take this, what’s this all about?”

the answer came quick with no hope, “these are just resolutions, “our way of providing real solutions “to appease a crowd hungry for delusions.

“as for you on this eventful day,” Blackhood stepped forward to play, “it’s lights out, heaven pray!”

crimson sprays

the crowd always gets what it wants.

POET’S NOTE: Part of the *Truth, Applied* collection. Medium’s formatting limitations do not allow for this poem to be experienced as intended. Click here to experience it on my web site.

© 2026 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved. First published on tristanrobertlange.com, July 15, 2026.