Ba Chong F.
Yelp
Surrounded by a foreboding masonry wall, lined with eerie stone tombs, and covered by ominous tree branches, Westminster Hall and Burying Ground in Baltimore has been the perfect backdrop for a longstanding tradition.
Every year since 1949, a figure known simply as the "Poe Toaster," always dressed in dark clothing, has stealthily appeared just past midnight on January 19th (Poe's birthday) to toast Poe with a glass of cognac before leaving the rest of the bottle at Poe's tombstone along with three roses.
For the vast majority of years, nothing ever was left other than the cognac and roses (which were arranged in a signature pattern). Then, beginning in 1993, notes started to appear alongside the other items. The first note that year mentioned that "a torch will be passed." Subsequent ones made allusions to Poe's work and offered devotions to the author. In 1999, the note left at the Burying Ground hinted that the Poe Toaster himself had died and that the tradition had been passed onto "a son."
This, in fact, seemed true enough as the visits continued; but, the ensuing notes became more topical and clumsy. In 2001, the Poe Toaster predicted that the Baltimore Ravens, who would be playing in Super Bowl XXXV in nine days, would lose. The prediction seemed to speak negatively about "The Raven," Poe's most famous poem and the bird that had become Poe's most enduring image. Then, in 2004, the Toaster wrote disparagingly of the French cognac that had always been used in the tradition (presumably, as a swipe at France's opposition to the Iraq War).
The Poe Toaster's last appearance occurred, rather uneventfully, in 2009 on the 200th anniversary of Poe's birth (with no note). Then, for two years in a row in 2010 and 2011, the Poe Toaster did not appear; and, the tradition apparently had ended. However, Jeff Jerome, the curator of the Poe House and Museum in Baltimore, wanting to establish three no-shows before declaring the tradition "officially" over, decided to give the Toaster one more chance.
Just a few days ago on January 19th, as a few onlookers and fans of Poe waited by the gate of the Burying Ground (as some always do), no one came (except for a few obvious and dismissible impersonators); and, the night silently faded into dawn. It was, then, that Mr. Jerome, realizing that the third no-show had come to pass, announced that this mysterious tradition, which had endured for so long, was, indeed, over.
However, beginning with the Toaster's first no-show in 2010, some chatter amongst fans did surface that, perhaps, a new Poe Toaster should revive the tradition; and, on my own visit there recently, with the lore and mystique of the Burying Ground, perhaps, inspiring me and simultaneously clouding my thinking, I did briefly entertain the idea of assuming the role of the Poe Toaster.
I imagined driving up to Baltimore and, under the cover of darkness, sneaking onto the grounds myself and leaving some roast pork buns, egg tarts, and a note at the grave site (in what would be a decidedly Asian re-interpretation of the tradition).
However, I quickly gathered my senses and gave up the crazy notion. I don't think it would have worked. Besides, my choice of items is wildly out of place; and, any note that I write anyway would probably read like a hapless saying from a fortune cookie.
Oh well, hopefully, like everyone else, I will let the tradition die a dignified death. I think Poe's Raven, looking down from its perch, would approve.