Black Weariness

Any Good Poem

Richard Berlin, MD, shares the poem, "Black Weariness," by Frank Marshall Davis, who was an African American poet, journalist, and civil rights activist. He became a prominent figure in the Chicago literary scene during the mid-20th century. Davis was known for his poetry, which often delved into themes of social justice, racial equality, and the experiences of African Americans. He was also a mentor to the young Barack Obama when Obama was growing up in Hawaii.

Dr Berlin has been writing a poem about his experience of being a doctor every month for the past 26 years in Psychiatric Times in a column called “Poetry of the Times.” He is instructor in psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts. His latest book is Freud on My Couch.