Nevermore

Today is Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday. He’s no longer a ‘fashionable’ writer but he’s worth remembering for his tremendous impact on the world of literature both through his poetry and his short stories. He’s considered the father of the modern mystery while being equally famous for horror. In fact, Poe’s tragic life and death are the very definition of the term “gothic” in its literary sense. Much of his work deals with the great themes of literature (and life); longing, loss, love, and death. The Raven is perhaps his most famous work, but the horror of The Fall of the House of Usher, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Cask of Amontillado linger long after you finish reading.

His clever insights into the human psyche and his magical way with words render his work unforgettable. Whole sections of his poems embed themselves in the memory after only a few readings because of their rhythm, internal rhyme, and word choices, so it’s no wonder lines from Annabel Lee easily spring to mind when considering how love impacts everyday life and decisions. A line from the poem says, “She lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me.”

What utter devotion! What would that be like? To wrap your whole life around someone so much that loving them was the only thought in your head? No mortal deserves such adoration and Poe’s despair on the death of his wife proves that, but God does deserve it. Such single-mindedness should be our approach to God—to live with no other thought than to love and be loved by him. Just imagine!