The King.

Dear Elvis,

I love you. No really, I love you. As much as a person can love someone they have never met and only have second hand information about- that is how much I love you.
I have not always loved you. I didn't have parents who had to play me "Teddy Bear" in order for me to fall asleep in my bassinet, or sit me in front of "Blue Hawaii" to keep me busy for two hours in my toddler-hood. I didn't really notice you at all until I was around 19. I had moved back into my moms house after being on my own for a couple years. I wanted to take some time to ground myself after an adolescence spent in bad relationships, and the complete inability to hold a job. I am not sure how I stumbled upon you in this time. I just remember spending afternoons in my room, sitting on the edge of my bed with butterflies watching you in one bad movie after another. You made me feel like I was 13 and had just met a new boy I liked. Unlike most people who are crazy about you, it was never your music that made me crazy- it was your movies. It was watching you smile at beautiful women and strum your guitar and get caught up in terribly staged fist fights where you always came out on top. You were never type-cast, because you were effing Elvis. You went from being an 18 year old delinquent who gets caught up with the New Orleans mob, to a farm hand at a womens ranch. It never mattered how awful the plot, or bad the acting- I just wanted to see YOU.
I started to read and learn and listen and watch everything I could about your life. I browsed pictures of you from birth to death and drooled on the pages they were printed on. I watched interviews with you and everyone who knew you. No matter how bad my day had been, or what life was tossing me- be it a new unhealthy relationship to get myself involved in, or a fight with my mom about something dumb...you just made me smile.
You still make me smile. When everything is against me, I can pop in King Creole (my favorite), and smile, smile, smile.

Yours,
Brooks

PS. When I get to heaven, (where I am sure you are), I really hope we can make out.