“Ulalume” By Edgar Allan Poe had me reflect on the concept of grief. The poem itself may have been heavily influenced by Poe’s own grief, as the poem was written only a year after his wife Virginia Clemm had passed. I recalled my own experience with loss, and how I have felt for weeks, or even months. At some point, the pain disappears into the background and becomes forgotten. Only, it resurfaces when reminders of who we lost pull the pain to the forefront once more.

Both poems were wonderful in their own right. Edgar’s poem about grief, sadness, and love was quite pretty in my eyes, as I adore the fall and its characteristics. In his poem, it shows how in everything he sees, it fuels his sadness or makes him remember his lost person. However in my mind, I realized we think differently. Whenever a loss like this occurs, I always try to paint them in the best way possible; the autumn leaves being my sister’s favorite season, or even the desolate winter air is my family’s favorite season since they get to stay inside haha. It also ties into Emily’s poem, albeit different…

One big idea that both Dickinson and Poe’s poem is that they raise questions about how we choose our companions. Dickinson emphasizes in choosing who to let in and limiting the power of choice while Poe’s reflects on emotional turmoil tied to memory and loss. These poems shaped my thinking by focusing on while connections can be deeply enriching, they can also come in sorrow.