Weather Alert

Author(s):

Frank A. Clark, MD

Key Takeaways

The poem highlights societal challenges like greed, division, and historical repetition of terror, urging unity and hope.
Imagery of a tormenting twister symbolizes chaos and fear, prompting individuals to seek refuge.
Advocates for overcoming prejudicial forces by fostering a unified humanity that radiates inclusivity and hope.
Dr. Clark, a psychiatrist and academic, is involved in addressing structural racism and promoting diversity and inclusion within psychiatry.

A psychiatrist reflects on the challenges we weather and the enduring search for hope and unity.

POETRY FOR INCLUSION

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We are living in
present darkness
which bears gifts of
grandiose greed
gesticulating on stage
inviting division while
duplicating history’s
nightmares filled with
visions of holy terror
swirling like a tormenting
twister in our minds
alerting our bodies
to flee in search of
havens that are
harbingers of hope
and to not succumb
to the prejudicial powers
whose wind gusts
can only be slowed
by creating a cosmos
of humanity
that must emit a
unifying light
for all seasons

Frank A. Clark, MD

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.