Nevermore

Growing up, I had a fascination with Edgar Allen Poe. I was too young to understand his work at the time, and barely read or listened to any of it. I'm not sure why I was fascinated with him, but I was. His name had weight to it, it carried with it mystery, the macabre, and a darkness that should have scared me away, but instead drew me in. Today I think I understand why I was fascinated by Poe. The one story I remember by Edgar Allen Poe is, "The Raven".

This dark poem tells of a man, who in mourning for his deceased love Lenore, finds himself in his chamber late at night. An ominous tapping from outside his chamber startles him, and as he seeks to find its owner he discovers a raven who enters the room. Curious at first, the man questions the raven, seeking to learn the name of his new companion. To his surprise the Raven responds with "Nevermore". Fascination rising, the man continues to question the raven, each inquiry more serious than the last. To each the Raven responds, "Nevermore".  By this grim declaration he is told that he will never see again his lost love and that he will never have respite of the pain of losing her. As the poem progresses he descends into madness, tormented by the raven who will leave him, "Nevermore".

Edgar Allen Poe published this poem in 1845, and two short years later his wife died. Two years after that Edgar himself passed away. This poem seemed to foreshadow the remainder of Poe's life. "The Raven" is a masterfully crafted poem which gives us a glimpse of the darkness within each of us and in the world. I feel as though the raven in this story represents our own demons, deep within us, that want us to fail, that want us to grieve and suffer. If we engage our demons at the wrong time or in the wrong way, they can pull us down into the depths of misery and despair. We can break ourselves if we aren't prepared for the darkness inside of each of us. Like the grieving man in the story who curiously engaged with the raven and soon found himself shattered and broken even more than before, each of us deal with our own hardships and losses and we too can engage with our own ravens. But when we do we walk the razors edge between madness and sanity.


The mysteriousness and eerie feeling in this poem connect with me because I have those feelings in myself. I have suffered loss and I have let myself descend into darkness before. I enjoy this type of art not because I like those feelings, but because they are part of me and I need to recognize them and see them for what they are. We all need to stand up to our own ravens and not let them define how our life will go, or how it will end. We need too shoo the ravens within us and give heed to them "Nevermore".

I highly recommend you watch this video in the dark on full screen to get the full effect of this poem.

Deep in Romanticism

Edgar Allen Poe has many short stories and poems that have always captivated me; this is going to sound so cliché it may make you sick, but one of my favorite pastimes is flipping through my collection of Edgar Allen Poe when it’s raining, window open, maybe sipping on some warm tea from my raccoon mug. Yes, you read that correctly. The mug in the shape of a raccoon. I think Poe would be proud to know that I read his works while simultaneously drinking from a cup the shape of a rabid, trash-picking animal.

But of all the works that Poe wrote and of all the poems of his that I have read, there is one that I have memorized and think of often (I wish I could say I was cool and can just spout off any Poe poem in any moment but you’ll see the negation to this below and understand that I am, in actuality, very uncool.)

Deep In Earth, Deep in Romanticism

The poem is titled “Deep in Earth” and goes like this:

“Deep in earth my love is lying

And I must weep alone.”

Pretty standard cryptic-ness from Poe, right? (And pretty short and therefore, very easy to memorize. #uncool)

This poem wasn’t officially written and produced and published like other Poe poems; no, it was instead found as a slightly faded note on the manuscript for the poem “Eulalie” which details a happy marriage. “Deep in Earth” as written after Mrs. Poe’s death and presumably, Poe wrote this as a reaction to this event.  

I think telling an emotional story in less than 13 words is a skill I wish I had and part of the mysticism of Romanticism.

Embracing Chaos

Personally, I become too involved with organization and perfection. I love writing, but its hard to write because the syntax, the rhythm, the meaning, and the reception
must be perfect or I failed. But in all aspects of my life, I find that honesty regarding the chaos of it all brings me closer to understanding, like a personal note of exasperated loneliness, despair and mourning on the manuscript detailing a happy marriage.

Image Credit: Portrait of my Poe collection and Raccoon the Mug

A True Story of Edgar Allen Poe's Grave

Black Cat

When I was young my family took a long trip, and at one point we made it to Baltimore, Maryland, which is the burial site for writer Edgar Allan Poe. My dad went to Poe’s grave alone, and saw something that still gives me chills whenever I hear him talk about it.

The Black Cat SynopsisIn Poe’s story the Black Cat, a man who was once the most benevolent caretaker of animals becomes a terrible enemy to them. He consistently abuses them— even his favorite black cat, whom he mutilates and kills. He does feel a little remorse, and he adopts another black cat. He eventually tries to kill this cat, too, so he grabs an ax to kill it but his wife stops him. He buries the blade in her skull instead. Then he tears down part of the cellar wall so that he may hide his wife in a hidden fireplace, and after patching it up notices the cat must have ran away. The police come to search his house and find the woman’s body only after they hear the screaming of the cat from behind the sealed wall.

My OpinionPersonally, I love reading Edgar Allan Poe. I believe he is a brilliant writer and I think he has a unique way of seeing into the darkest recesses of human nature. Nonetheless, the Black Cat is not a story I really enjoy reading. Not only do I find it highly disturbing, but I know that this tale has found its mark in me due to my father’s experience with Poe’s grave.

The Real GraveMy dad left the hotel and located the small church with the cemetery next to it. Poe’s grave wasn’t hard to find, and as he stood looking at it he heard someone come up from behind. He turned, and standing there was a hunched old man with wild white hair.

“Want to see the real grave?” he asked. “Then follow me.”

Hobbling, he took my dad behind the church, explaining that the other headstone was there for tourists. The second part of the cemetery my dad was led to was overgrown and looked like something from a horror film, but what added most to my dad’s amazement was the giant black cat sitting on top of one of the headstones. The old man pointed the grave out as belonging to Poe. The cat stared at my dad with glowing yellow eyes for a few moments before slinking away through the grass. The old man left, and my dad stood there for some time in silence. He likes to collect souvenirs wherever he goes, and he decided that the ultimate prize from our vacation would be a stone from the top of Poe’s grave. As he reached down to work one from the dirt, a sudden feeling of intense anger and hatred filled his body. He jerked his hand away and stepped back. The feeling still lingered, and he left the cemetery quickly.

My dad’s experience has stuck with me, and I can’t help but imagine that the ghost of Poe and the black cat in the story watch over his grave together.



Image Credit: Pinerest.com "Grave Protecting Scary Fast Solid Black Cat" saved from Kelli Guest