Rachel Armes-McLaughlin

Quiet now –

We mistake it as
a pause
to breathe.

It is not.

The silence
stretches,

lengthens into
something that feels safe

even while families
are taken – shh, shh –
today, next door.

The twins are no longer
featured news, yet

their families write to us
from afar, describing
scenes from war.

So calm and deceptive,
what do you see

in your omniscience,
eye of the storm?

Rachel Armes-McLaughlin has written poetry for over 25 years. Her work is published in The Chaos Section Poetry Project, where she currently assists as co-editor; in venues such as Loblolly Press, Middle Mouse Press, and Medicine and Meaning; in a Central Arkansas Library System anthology; and elsewhere, with one poem nominated for Best of the Net and another nominated for a 2025 Pushcart Prize. Rachel lives in the very red state of Arkansas with her husband, Jack; daughter, Isabelle; and four cats. You can find her on BlueSky at @mother-poet.bsky.social.

This poem appears in Uprooted: Poems of Resistance, Witness, and Survival (The Chaos Section Poetry Project, Fall 2026). We’re sharing each poem from the collection individually over the coming weeks. You can read the full book or download the free PDF here.