Their writing often explores themes of introspection, love, loss, and resilience
Becoming the Poem
A Poem by Rayne LaDuex
I always thought I wanted to be a poet—
scribbling verses on napkins,
taming storms into stanzas,
pulling meaning from the mouth of silence.
But really,
I wanted to be a poem.
I wanted someone to read me
slowly—
to trace the shape of my hurt
like a line break,
to find rhythm in the places I cracked,
to hold my pauses like prayer.
I didn’t want to write metaphors,
I wanted to be one—
the aching kind,
the kind that lingers in the chest
long after the last word.
I wanted my breath
to sound like unfinished verses,
my skin to hold the weight of ellipses,
my spine to curve like a well-loved page
folded open to the part
that always makes them feel something.
I wanted to be underlined
in someone’s memory.
Quoted in their chaos.
Muttered when the night gets too heavy.
Because poems are never forgotten
when they are lived—
not written.
And maybe that’s the difference:
A poet creates.
But a poem endures.
And I—
I have always longed
to be remembered like that.
Poetry: “Becoming the Poem” (May 9, 2025)
Rayne LaDuex is a passionate writer of poetry and short stories that delve into the raw and often unspoken facets of human experience. Drawing inspiration from the quiet moments of life and the intricate emotions that weave our stories, LaDuex creates work that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. Their writing often explores themes of introspection, love, loss, and resilience.
In addition to writing, LaDuex balances creativity with a career in project management and serves their community as a high school football coach, helping to mentor and inspire the next generation. They find harmony between structure and imagination, weaving these experiences into their art. Silence is their debut collection, a heartfelt offering to those who find solace in words and the spaces between them.
Order Silence here.
