SPOTLIGHT -
April 17th 2025
"Tell him I’m sorry I still owe him money..."
March 27th 2025
"All redeeming Nature knows, You cannot stop the spring."
March 25th 2025
A psychiatrist reflects on the challenges we weather and the enduring search for hope and unity.
March 18th 2025
"I guessed heart failure. The answer was pneumonia."
February 27th 2025
"Connect me to all children, Under undue distress all ‘round the world, Shaping the future of our warring lands..."
A Necessary Reply
After struggling with boundaries and saying "no," this psychiatrist found his voice.
Ingenious Sprinkler
How can the sprinkler be applied to diversity, equity, and inclusion?
Remembering Emmett
To move forward, we need to learn from the painful lessons of the past. On his birthday, thoughts turn to Emmett Till.
A Physician’s Plea
Imposter syndrome: a doctor’s nemesis…
An Unexpected Encounter
Anger, sadness, incredulity… Here is why police and communities of color need to engage in an open conversation to foster trust.
Tire Allostatic Load
Your patient tells you to get some rest, but they don’t know why you’re tired. What do you tell them?
Two Crises I Didn’t Train For
"I can still hear my patient shriek..."
Freud on My Couch
Frankness, honesty, and humor make this doctor’s poetry collection special.
Independence Day Thoughts From a Psychiatrist
As much as it is important to honor our country, it is also important to honor its ideals and continue the pursuit for such—for everyone.
Modern Medieval Artist
"While I watch the artist paint, I imagine him in the time of plague..."
Poetry for PTSD and Preventing Suicide
This renowned psychiatrist is donating a portion of the proceeds from his book sales to help stop US military veteran suicides.
Day 29
"...now i forget what day it is and still feel i’m running out of time..."
Eulogy for Wall Street
Sometimes a few simple words help us remember important events.
Complaint
"...Night is a room darkened for lovers..."
Hail to Floyd
Poetry allows for reflection a year after a tragedy and a travesty, and to honor a life lost.
The Repining Tree
Trees, the oldest among us. One wonders if they mourn the many lynchings that have taken place on their limbs. More reflections on diversity.
When the Doctor Called...
"I stood shivering in the dark kitchen, thinking about that word, ventilator..."
Eden's Stoner Chair
Reading books and journals, charting treatment plans to help patients find an Eden of their own.
What Lets Us Breathe Easier
"You’re a poet, aren’t you?"
Carpe Diem
"...So far the days keep coming. Seize the day gently as if you loved her.”
Soul
Words—an excellent reflection of the soul.
Sitting, Sewing
"My hands grown tired, my head weighed down with dreams..."
Pledged to a Little Nation
"My love, I am pledging to this republic, for however long we stand..."
Accoutered With Underutilized Ammunition
Justice in the form of humanity.
Sufficiently Sweet
“...sweetness comes as if on loan, stays just long enough to make sense of what it means to be alive, then returns to its dark source.”
Relentless Sowers
Nurturing, growing, and harvesting wisdom…
An Unexpected Journey: From Medicine to Poetry
How do poetry and medicine interact and relate? One doctor shares his journey.
Coming of Age
"... unconscious as hope that we sense around us now borne back into the earth..."
Psychiatric Residency Rotation
Reform school, a place where workers smoked with the boys, a place where fathers were AWOL and mothers begged us to save their sons.
Bear Spotting
A bear under the snow turns over to yawn. It's been a long, hard rest.