“Without“ by Donald Hall (1995)

Written in the wake of his wife Jane Kenyon’s premature death, “Without” is a poem of deep grief that became the title poem of a collection ruminating on Kenyon’s life and death, for which Hall won the L.L. Winship/Pen New England Award. Hall continued to write about Kenyon for the remainder of his life, both in future poetry collections, memoirs, and essays.

“Affirmation“ by Donald Hall (2001)

Hall’s poetry often examined the effects of aging, and this poem does so with honesty. “Affirmation” begins bluntly with the line, “To grow old is to lose everything,” and goes on to describe changing romantic relationships, friendships, and sexual connections across time, before ending with the affirmation that “it is fitting / and delicious to lose everything.”

“White Apples“ by Donald Hall (2006)

This nine-line poem simply and cleanly evokes the speaker’s grief in the wake of his father’s death. Alternating short two-word lines with longer lines, and making use of dramatic enjambment and a lack of punctuation, the poem quietly and effectively conveys a small moment of deep and resonant sadness.

“Safe Sex“ by Donald Hall (2006)