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This heartfelt tribute poem to Dr Jessica Obeysekare celebrates her passion, empathy, and dedication in both life and academia.
POETRY
Dedicated to my friend and colleague Dr Jessica Obeysekare
The movement of your
dexterous fingers typing
sometimes with peace
and other times with punctuality
but always with passion
pouring into an epic screen that
beckons your musings as you
notate your joys of the morning
your sorrows of the afternoon
your gratitude of the evening
Your posture remains vertical
as you approach this
timeless keyboard
from sunrise
to sunset
anticipating future encounters
that sometimes leave you gasping in disbelief
and other times abounding in hope
but always swelling with empathy
for the stories that have been shared
for the spaces that you hold
for the seeds that you plant
You are both student and scholar
Mother and daughter
Wife and friend
Holding perspective in the palms of hands
and wisdom in the dexterous fingers
that continue to promote
life
legacy
and love
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 His latest book, Dreaming Together, is available online, and his podcast Psyched Perspectives can be found exclusively on PsychiatricTimes.com.
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