On the Death of Poe

Jan. 19, 1809 – Oct. 7, 1849

E.A. Poe, you know,
wrote rhymes oft' times
that of certain will for long instill
wannabes such as me
(or "such as I"? -  insert sigh)
with desire to inspire
through phrasing so amazing
that readers, now admittedly few,
grow to veritable multitude
so that when I...well...die
budding poets will know it,
pay attention and e'en mention
me in a sad, slightly bad
little verse interspersed
with, by golly, adequate melancholy.

(c) Ellen Gillette, 2012

October 7 is the anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe's death, a noted poet whose life was filled with eccentricities: he was kicked out of school for refusing to pay his gambling debts, married his 13-year-old cousin, and may have died from rabies. His works are some of the most frequently quoted...even if you don't know a lot of his verse, I'll bet you recognize "Quoth the Raven,'Nevermore.'"or "the beautiful Annabel Lee."