Reason for Rhyme

Eddie Morales started writing poetry in High School, where he was fi rstintroduced to the works of Edgar Allan Poe, William Shakespeare, andEdna St. Vincent Millay, his three favorite poets today, forty years later. In between then and ten years ago, a span of thirty years, he saw a greatdecline in the area of rhyming poetry. No one rhymed anymore. Today, thebeautiful art of rhyme is practically non-existent. Some established poets stillrhyme, but you rarely see the works in print. Twelve years ago, Morales attended his fi rst convention, and he was hookedforever on poetry. Although the poems presented were free verse, he listenedcarefully as he heard many of the poets attending, year after year, expressconcerns in regards to rhyming poetry. The public clamored for rhymingpoetry, but the established poets were not forthcoming. This presented agreat opportunity for change, and there was hope for the return of rhymingpoetry. And so, a few years ago, Morales published his fi rst book, A ReasonFor Rhyme, and later published, The Suicide Sonnets. In his third book of poetry, presented here, Count Edweird Lefangs RhyminHalloween, Morales combines the art of rhyme, utilizing the numerous rhymingforms used by famous poets of the past and present, with humorous andserious fl air that teachers and students as well as the public can all enjoy.