Looking for Quiet

In this latest collection of poems, Kansas Vortex poet Roxie Powellexplores two themes, quiet and values. Quiet, an "antidote tonoise," can bring clarity about who you are, but also dread aboutwhat comes next. When we close off avenues to quiet, it may bebecause we are "afraid to be seen without the cover of worldlynoise, without the buffer of equipment and 'things.'" We needmoments of silence to look up and see the patterns among stars,to find ourselves, the part of ourselves which isn't just defendingagainst noise, or the product of noise.In 2025, it seems many Americans have lost touch with theirvalues. The leader of our country is "empty of principle," erodingthe original values we assumed were part of our heritage. Wehave lost touch with who we are. Without guiding principlesthat include integrity and compassion for our fellow beings, ourrelationships become diminished and our lives bleak and lonely.Powell's poems invite us to pull back into quiet and reconnectwith the values we have held dear.