Dec 2, 20221 min read

Be Here Now | Chuck Joy, MD

A photo of a heron in flight above a lake, the shore in the distance with a couple trees and a forest and mountains further in the distance. A poem titled "Be Here Now" (from On Wings Of Spirit Enhancement Books 2002) by Chuck Joy, MD "The river is white/here under clouds/and whiter still/where what sun/gets through/shines upon it//There's a certain timelessness/about this train we're in/the long lines of its crowded luggage racks/the uniforms worn by the staff/the rhythm of the wheels and the rails//A great blue heron/suddenly appears rising/from a beach of stones/and flies the other way//Tomorrow/what it is brings us here/will be over//Now several other passengers/prepare to disembark//Their time has come"

Chuck Joy, M.D. living in Erie, PA, is a child psychiatrist. For two years he has served on the Board of IPM. Chuck is the former Poet Laureate of Erie County. He has reached out to colleagues in the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry to advocate for the treatment value of poetry and poem-making. He taught a course on poetry therapy at Mercyhurst University. IPM welcomes his practice & teaching, his advocacy & poetry!

If a line or phrase resonates with you, we invite you to use it as a starting point to create your own poem.

We welcome you to share your poem with the IPM community here: A Poetry Commons.

Be Here Now | Chuck Joy, MD

Recent Posts

Comments