Poe Fridays (on Saturday)

This week, we read the short, sweet little poem, To My Mother. It's so short I can post the full text here:

Because I feel that, in the Heavens above,
The angels, whispering to one another,
Can find, among their burning terms of love,
None so devotional as that of "Mother,"
Therefore by that dear name I long have called you-
You who are more than mother unto me,
And fill my heart of hearts, where Death installed you
In setting my Virginia's spirit free.
My mother–my own mother, who died early,
Was but the mother of myself; but you
Are mother to the one I loved so dearly,
And thus are dearer than the mother I knew
By that infinity with which my wife
Was dearer to my soul than its soul-life.



How very un-Poe-like, to read just a simple tribute to a woman he loves. Of course, there is the reference to the death of his beloved Virginia - honestly, without that I don't know if I would have believed this was written by Poe. But, he tells us that this woman ( I assume his mother-in-law) is so loved by him because she gave life to Virginia, and she took Virginia's place in his heart when she died. It is truly a beautiful, unexpected addition to the Poe collection - great choice this week, Kristen!

Next week we will read the poem A Forest Reverie. Poe Fridays is hosted by Kristen at WeBeReading.