Contributor Series 10: Silken Rags
Charcoal Portrait of an Actress
By Mary Harwell Sayler
The first time I saw you on the silver screen, you were
a slender teen with big eyes and thick, tossed curls.
What set you apart from the other girls can only
be described as radiance. And, oh, how you could
dance! When you saw yourself on film in your very
first show, did you see that uncommon glow?
Or did you only see your nose? A bit prominent,
I suppose, but that too was the unique you.
For a long time I wondered where you’d gone. Finally
it dawned on me, “That’s her!” Were you so unhappy
to be unusual? Did you not like the individual
who, by nature, you just are? Could you not see
yourself as I do? Someone with personality,
charm, and effervescence–like a star…
Mary Harwell Sayler’s work has appeared at the prompts page.
The eyes of the beholder. The best lens, sometimes.