Old Roses

Any Good Poem

Richard Berlin, MD, shares the poem "Old Roses" by Donal Hall. Hall (1928-2018) was a prominent American poet, author, editor, and literary critic, known for his diverse body of work and his lasting influence on American poetry. He served as the United States Poet Laureate from 2006 to 2007. Hall's poetry, which was often inspired by rural New Hampshire life, explored themes of nature, place, and the human experience.

Beyond his poetic contributions, Hall was a prolific writer in various genres, including memoir, essays, short fiction, children's books, and plays. He also served as the first poetry editor of The Paris Review, and edited numerous anthologies. Hall's work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Robert Frost Medal, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, and the National Medal of the Arts.

Dr Berlin has been writing a poem about his experience of being a doctor every month for the past 27 years in Psychiatric Times in a column called “Poetry of the Times.” He is an instructor in psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts. His latest book is Tender Fences.