Regarding the article "The man who wasn't there: 'Poe Toaster' fails to show at gravesite" (Jan. 20): The only mystery here is how it could have taken the Toaster so long to figure out that it would be more appropriate to leave birthday gifts for Edgar Allan Poe in Boston where he was born than in Baltimore where he died! Rumor here has it that over the past 48 hours the Toaster, sporting a Red Sox cap and whistling "Yankee Doodle," has been spotted walking between 62 Charles Street South and Edgar Allan Poe Square, searching for the perfect place to leave his cognac and roses. Will he return to Baltimore? Nevermore.

Paul Lewis, Chestnut Hill, Mass.

The writer is a professor of English at Boston College.

Send your comments to talkback@baltimoresun.com.