Day 13: Please See Me

Celebrating National Poetry Month by highlighting 30 days of literary publishers who produce poetry you can listen to, watch, or read, in 5 minutes or less.

In my circle, you don’t have to look far to find someone working as a medical provider or caregiver, either paid, or unpaid. Today’s literary journal, Please See Me, is for all my caregiver friends collectively, and more specifically for my friend Michael, a doctor who works in a hospital palliative care clinic. He wears his compassion, kindness, intellect and vulnerability as naturally as his white coat.

Please See Me, according to the Mission Statement, is “an online literary journal that features health-related stories in the form of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and digital media, including photography, podcasts, and short films. Our mission is to elevate the voices and stories of vulnerable populations, and those who care for them. At the heart of our publication is the cultivation of meaningful patient–provider partnerships in the spirit of wellness. To that end, we publish work written by patients, family members, creatives, caregivers, and providers.” 

One of my favorite poems in the latest issue is “Love Lost & Found: For Qi Hong” by Yuan Changming.  It begins like this:

1. Missing in Missed Moments

Each time I miss you
A bud begins to bloom
So you are surrounded by flowers
Everywhere you go

“Love Lost & Found: For Qi Hong” by Yuan Changming

You can hear the poet read aloud. And if you have a little more than five minutes, take a look at the 13 other poems, or watch the three and a half minute film titled, “Please See Me.” Its dialogue is like a poetic play; the film is the inspiration behind the journal.

Be well. Be kind. Share poems that touch you.