Their writing often explores themes of introspection, love, loss, and resilience
“In the Middle of the Tilt”
A Poem by Rayne LaDuex
No relationship is equal. That’s the myth they sell in greeting cards and wedding vows—this illusion of balance, two hearts beating in perfect synchrony like clock hands frozen at midnight.
But people are not clocks. We love unevenly, loudly, sometimes wrong, sometimes too much.
One leans in, the other leans away. One asks, the other forgets. One bleeds, the other bandages.
One builds a bridge, the other sets it on fire just to see if the smoke spells something meaningful.
But the good ones—
the good ones are at least reciprocal.
Not symmetrical. Not fair. But willing.
Willing to meet you where the pavement breaks.
Willing to carry the weight when your arms fall numb.
Willing to say, “I don’t know what you need, but I want to know.”
Willing to lose an argument if it means keeping your voice soft.
You’ll love them harder some days. You’ll feel unseen on others.
But they come back.
With groceries. With apologies. With your favorite kind of silence.
Because reciprocity doesn’t mean splitting the world down the middle—
it means both of you reaching for the pieces
even when they don’t match.
It means you stop keeping score
and start keeping each other.
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.
