Greenhouse

Kannapat/AdobeStock

POETRY FOR INCLUSION

There are days where

fangs of sadness pierce

my disturbed mind.

My body suffocated

with regret as I lay prostrate

at the green altar

grieving, moaning, and

pleading with my

redeemer, renewer, and restorer.

Self-reproach replaces praying

hands once immersed in

soil that offered solace,

provided purpose, and

released anger.

O God O God!

I miss my friend!

My hands bathed in

their own grief lament with

yours in unity

and my tears pray

that your spirit would

find fertile soil

blooming again

with petals of sage and

grace.

For we are a healing and

a growing greenhouse

kingdom guiding us

toward the light.

Dr Clark is an outpatient psychiatrist at Prisma Health-Upstate and clinical associate professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville. He served on the American Psychiatric Association’s Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry, and he currently serves as the Diversity and Inclusion section editor and advisory board member for Psychiatric Times. His newest books are Positively Haiku: Illustrated Affirmations in 17 Syllables and Positively Haiku 2: Peace, Love, and Discovery in 17 Syllables.