Within Reach

Tharun/Adobestock

POETRY FOR INCLUSION

In Remembrance of MLK Day

I dream that
ours words would
be like honey
and not like hammers.

I dream that
righteous anger would
surpass unrighteous ire.

I dream that
listening and asking
would replace shaming and
blaming.

And

I wish that
oak trees could resist
and not succumb to lynchings.

I wish that
concrete could feel
knees of humility
and not hubris.

I wish that
wind could sway
history toward progression
and not regression.

Moreover

I believe that
our homes can
be havens for truth
and not deceit.

I believe that
our mirrors can
reflect justice
and not prejudice.

I believe that
our children can
be the bridge that
unites and not divides.

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. His newest books are Positively Haiku: Illustrated Affirmations in 17 Syllables and Positively Haiku 2: Peace, Love, and Discovery in 17 Syllables.