As Member Appreciation Month draws to a close, it is our pleasure to share with you an example of PRIM&R members’ many talents. Below, Regina Drake, who was featured in a Member Profile earlier this month, reflects on the importance of human subject protections in a poem.
There are villains,
But few
In the scheme of things—
There is after all,
More honesty
In this world
Than we recognize.
There are folks
Who are sick,
And want to be well—
Folks that are moved
By the suffering of others,
By injustice,
Or just by the valiant search
For the cure.
Here we sit
“Betwixt and between”—
Not as power-brokers
Or nay-sayers,
Not even as the strong arm
Of the law—
As much as we are
Protectors
Of those who consent,
Those who agree
To take the risk.
We sit also
As the reminders
Of those who might
Otherwise make
Honest mistakes
That are costly—
And, yes, we sit
As barriers
To those few villains
Who exist
In every arena.
Ours is to protect
And remind—
To do a honest day’s work
That could just make
The critical difference—
To not fall prey
To routine,
Or complacency,
Underestimating
What we do
Just because we do it
Every day.
For this just might be
The day,
Or tomorrow,
Or the next,
When what we do
Matters
Most.
If you have a story, a poem, a song, or another piece of work that you would like to see featured, please share it with us!
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