The Ghostwriter

1849 “Annie” daguerreotype of Poe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe

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The Daily Post

If you could have any author –living or dead – write your biography, who would you choose?

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If I could have any author – living or dead – write my biography the choice would be an easy one to make. I would choose Edgar Allan Poe.

(Please, dear family, if you are reading this… remember that the best of biographies are – at best – poor reflections of the truth. Do not believe everything you read on the net!))

We are similar in having to face death up close and personal early in life. With Edgar, watching his mother wither and pass as just a child of three. With me, attending a funeral viewing of a young friend when I was about in fourth grade. The viewing was in his home- as was the custom then- but my friend was “laid-out” in his upstairs bedroom on his bed. (This caused many questions that I never even asked.)

Edgar was a bit of a smart-alack and show-off. I suspect I was too. He swam a channel… I would jump and roll from roof tops.

Edgar had a thing for visiting cemeteries late at night… I would love to go the read the headstones at old cemeteries late in the evenings. (I never slept in a cemetery, but I think if I would have known that Edgar had… Mom would have had problems with me wanting to see what sleeping in a cemetery was like at night.

Unusual assorted school peer groups… ‘noufff said, before I get huge emails and phone hang-ups.

Going away to “boarding” school/ college to make life better and scrimping on finances… doesn’t everyone?

Joining the military… always wanted to … always for the wrong reasons- just like Poe.

To Helen… Annabel Lee… and Lenore … Many, many, many heartaches. Every time there was a new Top Ten Love Song… there was a new girl? (Or many that was just my imagination?) It would be great to have a love song or a ballad by which I could memorialize each one. (Again, probably good this is a fantasy!)

The Black Cat: There was a string of bad luck happening in one of those early decades. (But I have no dead bodies in the walls! Honest!)

The Tell-Tale Heart: Best not explain that one!

The Cask of Amontillado: I’d have a list of persons that I might love to role-play this one as a story. (Kidding!) In my ending they would live! But the fear would be AWESOME! (Kidding!)

The visiting of his grave site for decades! That would be awesome to be so remembered!

Hopefully, Edgar would have more chapters for joyous living than he, personally, experienced… But for him to write my frustrations and my heartaches… A memorable memoir.

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In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Ghostwriter.”