The True Horror of Poe

A simple musing on the art of one of the greatest writers, Edgar Allen Poe

The True Horror of Poe 

(A Haiku)

By

Carlos Lorenzo Estrada 

"Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality."- Edgar Allen Poe 

I often wonder

What did Poe know in dark mind?

Are we the monster?

Author's Note

I wonder if the dark prince of horror would agree with this poem. Anyone up for a seance to find out? Don't be afraid I don't bite...unless I'm hungry. Hehe. Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below and thank you for reading.

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

He was a truly dark soul. His own experiences of life certainly reflected in his writing. He had his demons. He was very popular in his day but still attracts a great deal of interest now. The Raven is a stand out. Wonderful work. Yes, he knew the monster within. Not everyone gets a chance to meet their own monsters up close and personal. He did. Thank you Carlos for sharing.

Chris

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Chris for your thoughts on this remarkable writer EAP. The man has influenced generation after generation of writers in their art. Thus is the testament to the greatness of the man himself. Despite his demons and frailties he drew solace from them to paint dark visions in stories and the human monsters that occupied them. One only needs to hear the name Poe and they are totally aware of what the name instantly conjures. One of the highest forms of writing art. Thank you so much Chris for your insight comment on this remarkable writer named Poe.

[Chris Shaw]

His name lives on. Years after his death so many know Poe and what his writing reflects. Thank you Carlos for sharing your own wonderful work. You are such an asset to this site with both your own writing and your thoughtful reviews.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Chris for such kind words. I really feel lucky to be part of this incredible community of such talented writers all around the world. I always strive to pay forward the generosity this place has given me and the work I submit. This is a special community and will remain so as long as each and everyone participates to its growth and reputation. Both in New voices and veteran alike. So being inspired by you and the other wonderful writers here I will continue to pay it forward because there is place here for everyone's art and voice to be heard.

[Lorry]

I think his end suggests that you may be right. No one chooses drunken destitution and his writing shows a clarity that perhaps was a little too clear in his only too human mind.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Lorry. I totally agree with you there. He truly knew the depravity of the human mind which was all too familiar to him. He may have proven all too well the adage dying for your art. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[Fran Marie]

I think Poe was in such a dark place
throughout his life ..dark poetry filled
his soul and tormented his mind by
the same token he turned out volumes
of great poetry/ stories et al
he was the master writer..his monster
lived within him

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Yes his mind truly dwelt in the darker places of our humanity. Without a doubt and he still managed some remarkable art indeed. Thank you Fran for this informative thoughtful comment. I truly appreciate it.

[R.J Calzonetti]

Everyone is capable of great evil and great good, much like the mixture of blue and yellow, we often do not understand the different shades of green created. A different mix of the two is not so simple. We long for others to be the same colour as us. Perhaps that is truly the issue, only knowing one or the other, blue or yellow. Or always a different shade of green. Great haiku, made me think.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Hi RJ thank you for your thoughts on this piece. I actually had to re-edit this piece to make it a bit ambiguous. After posting this late in the morning I thought a little more on it. I wanted it to ask of us how we are seen by the world and each other. Do ants and insects think us monstrous? What of the animals we keep as pets which probably know us better then most humans. And what shades of monster are we. The kind that would steal candy from a baby or torture human beings for pure pleasure? So instead of making it more definitive I thought why not less subtle. So I switched around two words. Hopefully it improves its message a bit. Thank you for your thoughts my friend.

[R.J Calzonetti]

And thank you for sharing :)