The Brilliance of Poe

  Back in the Fall, my daughter,Elizabeth, did a portrait of Edgar Allan Poe for the Second Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou.  As usual, she did an extraordinary job on the drawing and everyone was overwhelmed by her talent.  The portrait was a key element in the clue hunt so I had Michael make a frame for displaying it.  Everything went well.  The clue hunt came and went and Old Poe soon found himself relegated to the corner of the living room.  His importance was fleeting and until I find a place to properly hang him, he will bide his time in the dark recesses behind Grandmother's fern stand.  The area does indeed stay dark during the winter months due to the heavy curtains that cover the many windows.  These are used to block the icy drafts from winds buffeting from across the Bay.  

  Imagine my surprise this morning when I spied Old Poe gleaming brightly from the shadows. Ok, so this was a bit creepy!  The room was cast in total darkness but Poe was almost glaringly bright.  I had opened the door to let Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess, (aka the young cat) out for the day.  When I turned to head to the kitchen, I was taken aback by the "Ghost of Poe" staring at me from the pitch black corner. I promise this guy had an almost maddening smirk on his face!  His eyes followed me as I stepped around the old dining table and then again as I walked past the chairs.  Ok, Mr. Poe!  You and I are going to have to share this room and you, my friend, cannot be staring at me!  It makes me a tad uncomfortable!  

  The light from the rising sun must have been at the perfect angle to beam right on the portrait.  With the only light entering the darkened room from that partially opened door, the canvas gleamed bright white. Had the portrait been positioned in any other spot, had Nycto not wanted out at that exact moment and had it not been our first sunny morn in seemingly forever, I might not have even noticed Old Poe's bright, shiny face!  It made me stop and ponder...Edgar Allan Poe was brilliant!  Well, we all knew that from his written works.  I guess he was just trying to reinstate his status to one of well-deserved importance. Maybe he was telling me to hurry up and find his permanent spot. Behind Grandmother's fern stand must be a tad humiliating for someone of his celebrity!  

(Just an added note on his intelligence.  Did you know that he was a master code-breaker?  Brilliant, indeed!)