Annabel Lee

When you ask people about Edgar Allan Poe, they usually think of his horror and suspense short stories: The Tell Tale Heart, Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Black Cat, The Pit and the Pendulum—so, so many of them. There are movies and TV series adaptations galore, and people have come to think he only wrote scary stories. (Stephen King has a similar problem.)

But people forget that Poe was also a poet, or if they do remember, they think of The Raven, which also has an ominous feel to it. But he had another side, that is shown to full effect in the poem, Annabel Lee, where the emotions connected with love and loss are palpable. Some people believe the poem was inspired by Poe’s own grief over the death of his wife. As you listen to the words, you know they came straight from his heart.

Listen to Garrison Keillor as he reads Edgar Allan Poe’s “Annabel Lee”.

Happy Poetry Month!

Elise Skidmore ©2025