Honestly, Edgar Allan Poe was a messed up man. And I’ve certainly watched a lot videos about him (this one and that one). Have you ever read his stories? I’ve taught The Tell-Tale Heart a few times, usually this time of year. I love teaching about Poe.

I grew up hearing both my mom and my grandmother talk about Poe. Mom loved Annabel Lee. And grandma would say her favorite word was tintinabulation. Did you and your grandmother talk about favorite words? Somehow, we had this conversation repeatedly, and grandma would quote Poe’s poem, “To the tintinabulation that so musically wells / From the bells, bells, bells, bells, / Bells, bells, bells— / From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.”

Grandma loved talking about words. I still remember when she learned couthie was a real word. Anytime she found a way to use it in one of our conversations, she would, and she’d give me a wink.

Perhaps it’s no wonder I love words too.

But I meant to talk about Poe. What a train wreck of a human! Definitely problematic. Probably a terrible friend. Not someone to travel with, for sure. But since I have the advantage of never having to invite him over to dinner with the family, I find him endlessly fascinating. I recently bought a card cutout of him for my Halloween display.

How strange to live such a literary life and end up as Halloween décor. Right? There’s a question to ask the person next to you at the next dinner party. “If someone made a paper doll likeness of you, for what holiday should it be?”

In any event, I highly recommend the podcast After Dark. They have lots of great topics for spooky season, including this tragic telling of Poe’s messed up death.

Well, enjoy spooky season in the lonesome October.

Thanks for reading.

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