Edgar Allan Poe

A minutely biographical poem

Not just another so-and-so--
No, tis Edgar Allan Poe.
His father left and he estranged another,
And then so died his mother,
And then another, and after that his lover.

Such is the life of Edgar Allan Poe.
People came and ever did they go.
A cantankerous crow would enter in,
Speaking those words again and again, into the growing din
Of the softly whispering wind.

Perhaps just a figment from his mind,
From the dreary opium or the smoky dro,
Which unto his miserable characters he would so bestow,
And thus their separate lives would react in kind.

All was death
In his life, and in what he would write,
As the critics would stir and their pens would bite.
Some would hail him, others derail him
From the tracks where they found him.
The critics, the ale, the death-oh it bound him,
But such was the life of Edgar Allan Poe.
Nevermore will he draw breath, so quoth the crow.

But love prospers on, even after the bells have rung.
For now is the time when his poems will soon be sung.
And perhaps he found her, the love he had lost;
And with what he had paid, but one life was the cost.
Regardless, he remains right in our hearts.
Maybe he stays, with she whose loss tore his heart apart.

The poets may come, and others may go.
But no-
Not him.
For he is Edgar Allan Poe.

Author's Note

I was writing a research paper on Poe, got bored part way through, and started jotting this down.
No editing or anything.
Tell me what ya think.

Reviews

[klewis]

This was wonderful. It tells Poe's story fluidly, which is something most story-telling-poems lack. If anything, this definitely reminded me of his writing style.

"...and their pens would bite," and, "From the tracks where they found him," are two excellent and creative lines. Love them.

I also liked how you slipped in bits of his own poetry, like the crow and the bells.
Great job.

[Coyote Poetry]

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most interesting writers of our time. His story had crossed 150 years of readers and his words are as powerful as when written. He is one person I like to share a meal with and listen to him. Poem is outstanding. Your words gave respect to a great writer.
Coyote

[Christina May Shanaberg]

Excellent poem; simply excellent (for lack of a more superior word!) I love poe; he was amazing, drugs or no drugs. He seemed to see the world from a dark side that most of us will not let our minds visit and he seemed comfortable there. I guess any writer writes better when he has the conviction that what he is writing needs to be read and shared, whether anyone likes it or not. This is one of your best pieces!!