Positive Outcome

Nikkikii/Adobestock

POETRY FOR INCLUSION

I was that kid
Smiling outwardly
But suffering inwardly
Alexithymia made its introduction
At a young age
A childhood volcano
Attempting to erupt
Devoid of emotional
Lava

I guess that’s the game
Trauma plays

I was that youngin
Dancing with joy
But pining for acceptance
Familial secrets revealed
And busyness could not
Mend wounds of despair
A bleeding vessel searching
For the tourniquet of
Reprieve

I guess that’s the game
Depression plays

I am that adult
Reflecting on the past
But healing in the present
A cup of renewal
Cleanses the pores
Filled with virulent pain
Insight aids the slow
And steady detox
Process

I guess that’s the game
Growth plays

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^TM.