Bella Shepard

Dear Mrs. Christie

 

Dear Mrs. Christie,

 

You have beguiled, bewitched, bewildered and intrigued me

You have subtly embedded your clues ‘round every corner

And each turn of the page has kept me searching, guessing

Trying to solve the puzzle

I’ve sat with Poirot as he employed the little gray cells

And marveled at Miss Marple’s knowledge of human nature

All of your characters have enchanted me

Late night reading, a small bedside lamp casting shadows, creating atmosphere

As I breathlessly turned the pages of a book that I couldn’t put down

I’ve pictured myself along side as they’ve solved the most baffling mysteries

Stories coming to life; plots, places, pastoral and exotic

How did you manage to tell stories of murder with such decorum and finesse?

You’ve captured the heart of the literate world for 56 years

And the love affair goes on

I discovered you in my youth and devoured every book, never satiated

And when I’d read the very last I felt a sense of loss, knowing there would be no more

Now, in my twilight years I long to go back

To start at the beginning and relive that wonderful time of my life

And each day as our world becomes more chaotic and violent

I reach for an old friend, that I may turn the pages

And in doing so, turn back the hands of time

If only within the cover of a book

 

Thank you Mrs. Christie,

 

With all my love