We don’t talk about what we see. Not really. We joke, we deflect, we survive. But The Quiet After the Sirens is about what happens when the silence breaks.
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Walking Through Fire: A Warrior’s Reflection for Mental Health Awareness Month
The first of May rises not just with spring’s fragile bloom but with the tremble of a war drum echoing deep within my chest. Today marks the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Month, and for those like me—those who wear their wounds beneath the skin …
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The Quiet After the Sirens
The Quiet After the Sirens is a powerful, lyrical memoir by veteran and EMS Lieutenant Richard White, exploring PTSD, trauma, and the unseen toll of service. From Iraq to 911 calls, White unveils the emotional cost of duty and the long, brutal journey of healing without shortcuts. This is a story of resilience, honesty, and finding peace after the noise fades.
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🖤 National Poetry Month — Day 19 🖤
Day 19 of #NationalPoetryMonth and I went full blues-ballad with The Ballad of Burnt Hill Road.
Read More The Quiet After the Call
There’s a silence most people never hear.
It’s not peace—it’s the sound after the sirens, when the adrenaline fades and the ghosts start talking.
After years in the military, fire service, and EMS, I came to know that silence too well. It isn’t quiet. It’s noise turned inward.
In that space, the heart races, the mind replays trauma, and the spirit aches under the weight of it all.
Crowded rooms became unbearable. Joy felt dangerous. And I couldn’t sit still without my hands shaking.
But healing began when I finally stopped running and listened to that silence. I learned to name the things I feared. I started writing again.
This memoir, The Quiet After the Sirens, is a testament to survival—not just in the field, but in the stillness that follows.
It’s about carrying the weight, honoring the ghosts, and learning how to breathe again.
If you’ve ever known that kind of silence, this story is for you too.
NaPoWriMo Day 13: The Gold Light in Quiet Rooms
By @RWhiteAuthor 🌿 NaPoWriMo Day 13: Inspired by Donald Justice’s “There is a gold light in certain old paintings” Today’s poem explores memory, art, and the way moments—like brushstrokes—blur and echo in the mind. Following Justice’s self-invented form, each stanza holds six lines of twelve syllables. …
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Blaze – Creative Writing Using Symbolism
You don’t choose to be a firefighter. You don’t choose to be a hero.
It’s a fire that burns inside you. Like an ember lodged in your chest that never dies, no matter how hard you try to smother it…
In Blaze, Chase Bowdry runs into burning buildings not because he wants to—but because he can’t imagine being anyone else. When a fire threatens to consume a warehouse and the girl trapped inside, Chase is forced to confront what drives him: legacy, survival, and something deeper.
Not all fires destroy. Some reveal.
🔥 “He used to think the helmet made him who he was. But now, he knew the truth… He saw himself as a flame—not the kind that consumes. The kind that carries light.”
Read MoreNaPoWriMo Day 7 “Why I Am Not a Symphony”
Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt: Write a poem explaining why you are not a work of art. Mine? A chaotic self-portrait in sound. I am not a symphony.
Read MoreMarch of the Writers – Day 31: To Be Continued…
By @RWhiteAuthor As March comes to a close, so does this incredible journey through March of the Writers. For 31 days, we’ve explored our passions, reflected on our inspirations, shared our challenges, and celebrated our writing lives. Each day has been a new opportunity to …
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March of the Writers – Day 30: Wishlist
Every dream begins with a wish, and this year, mine is to finish my BA in English and Creative Writing and secure my spot in an MFA program. I’m working hard to gain financial aid and land an internship at W.W. Norton and Company, a stepping stone into the publishing world. This opportunity will shape my journey as a writer and educator.
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