Ah, the ghosts, goblins, ghouls, Zombies, witches - I was with them all last night at a Halloween party. Some attendees were in costume, others were dressed as themselves. My SO and I went as curmudgeonly AARP members - it wasn't a stretch.
There was no shortage of laughter and cordiality, back-slapping and hail-well-mets. The food was plentiful as were the decorations. This host and hostess are the best at throwing parties and enabling their guests to feel welcome and comfortable. We were surrounded by reminders of Edgar Allen Poe. Ravens, spiders and cobwebs were everywhere, although there wasn't a cask or casket to be found!
Poe is a fascinating figure in American literature and history. Was his brilliance and creativity fueled and fed by his imperfection, darkness, and mental illness? That combination, impossible sounding on paper but capable of producing work that will survive through the ages, has been with humankind for as long as recorded history. Artists, musicians, poets, authors, thespians.......all have produced flawed but gifted artisans. We can look to any number of recent-history, well known artists and performers and see the dichotomous result of flawed but gifted.
Halloween may be over for another year but Poe and his compadres live on in the history books and are resurrected once each year. To paraphrase the raven: "Evermore."
Ancora imparo
