Making Room
A psychiatrist shares his reflections on inclusivity... and making room for all.
olly/Adobestock
POETRY FOR INCLUSION
The unifying couch
invites all narratives
tales of old and new
euphoria and dysphoria
reality and non-reality
survivor and non-survivor
dialoguing on breathable cotton
No thought process is derailed.
No appearance is shunned.
No judgment is permitted.
No eye contact is accepted.
No affect is welcomed.
No division is celebrated.
No perspective is mocked.
No language is prioritized.
No membership is required.
Humanity and humility coalesce
on heaven's colossal couch.
Hearts flutter and tears abound.
There is room for catharsis.
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 TimesTM.
