On Your Mark

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POETRY FOR INCLUSION

Time is sprinting ahead

on our track of life

and the gust of wisdom

captures its feet

running each lap

with the fire

of Moses, the faith of

Job, the fervor

of Christ

What are we but cells of love,

ashes of service,

vessels of hymns

nearing spiritual paradise

free of ranking

void of shaming

clear of blaming

that the shepherd of sprinters

would invite us to the

finish line feast?

For you and I

know that this space,

this pace, this race

is a gift to be shared, craved,

and loved.

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.