The Quiet After the Sirens

In The Quiet After the Sirens, Richard White—poet, veteran, and former EMS Lieutenant—offers an unflinching look at the silent battles that follow service. From the scorching deserts of Iraq to the heart-wrenching stillness of 911 calls, White confronts the toll of trauma, exposing the weight of PTSD, depression, and anxiety with raw vulnerability and unwavering honesty.

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We Played Terribly

By @RWhiteAuthor Day 5 of NaPoWriMo prompt is inspired by musical notation, and particularly those little italicized –and often Italian – instructions you’ll find over the staves in sheet music, like con allegro or andante. First, pick a notation from the first column below. Then, pick …

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NaPoWriMo Day 2: From Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Drawn from Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, this blackout poem explores the philosophy of self-overcoming. Nietzsche famously wrote, “One must have chaos within to give birth to a dancing star.” This piece embraces that tension—how darkness, struggle, and the unknown shape transformation. The erasure leaves behind fragments of existential battle and ascent, mirroring the journey of one who dares to evolve beyond their former self.

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