In Search of Agnes Moorehead

 Her voice was the first to enchant my mind.

 Then came her face, lovelier than dreams.

 Through every scene, I gazed, awestruck.

 All else fades when she’s onscreen.

What drew me close, I cannot explain.

My blurred thoughts raced as fast as my heart.

And when the day ceased, I made a vow

To learn what I could about this star.

All I searched for was cloaked in mystery.

An incomplete puzzle was all I found.

The flame-haired witch in violet and green

Seemed to be fond of secrecy.

 For a famous face, she hid herself well.

The best actress on earth is a fascinating mystery.

I know her career, but I must learn about her life.

Armed only with a book, I started my journey.

My steps are unsure on the mist-shrouded path.

 Some light shines through, but not nearly enough.

Twists and turns heighten my curiosity.

Fiction and fact intertwine constantly.

“Why did you create this elaborate maze?”

I ask the bright star.  “Please tell me who you are.”

No answer, of course, but failure’s not a choice.

My books and my heart have led me this far.

Recordings and broadcasts display what I know.

No matter the role, her talent shines through.

Photographs and anecdotes are a welcome surprise.

For one brief moment, her true self appears.

While reading her words, I can almost hear

her haunting voice echo in my mind.

Slowly but surely, I start to see

That differences between us are hard to find.

Ten years on the path, and I have learned much.

But my quest for knowledge has only just begun.

It’s well worth the challenges, plot holes and twists

To find myself the heroine she’s been all along.