Dear Liberace

Dear Liberace,

May I call you Lee?

Even in absentia, I know you’re out there.

Smiling, glittering – the perfect host.

I remember seeing you on Person to Person.

Edward R. Murrow, the famous newsman,

interviewing you, the famous entertainer,

on live television.

Swathed in white, brilliant

even on black and white TV,

you were seated at a white grand piano

amidst antique treasures, all looking as if

they had been caught with you

in the same high wind

during a Midwestern snow storm.

And I remember you explained

you were less the owner of these objects

and more, simply, their caretaker.

What a concept! My 16 year old self

seized this show of altruism.

Today I attribute your realistic view

to your Midwest upbringing,

back when you were 16

and performed as Walter Busterkeys.

Bravo!

Sincerely,

June Nirschl