Marilyn Monroe....the name evokes many different feelings for many different people. Even within my own heart it evokes a mixture of emotions that cannot be put into words. To the fans who love her to this day, she is more than an actress, more than a beautiful face, more than the world's most famous blonde.

Late at night I sometimes think of her. "Who were you?", I whisper to the dark, "What did you think, what did you feel?" Her face mesmerizes me, staring at me from a hundred pictures, and I am sent again into the trance, wondering, asking the questions to which I can never have the answers. The indescribable something that lurks behind her eyes draws me in again and again. I want to know her...what wouldn't I give to have met her?

I know the details, the tragic tales, the truth, the lies. It makes me want to cry to see those who never loved her making a fortune off lies that degrade her memory. The ones who truly love her sift through the lies and pull out the truth, and offer it up to the world, saying "Here. This is Marilyn, this is true. Don't believe the lies", and I thank them. From the bottom of my heart. Her memory is kept alive by the people who love her, and in some sense, she still lives in us, the fans, the ones who will never forget her.

I've been asked more times than I can count what it is I love about Marilyn. I find myself lacking an answer, except perhaps to simply say, "everything". But I do not see her as much of the world sees her, and perhaps that is why they cannot understand. I see a woman where they see a star. I see a loving heart where they see cleavage. I see an intelligent mind where they see a dumb blonde. I see a halo where they see dyed platinum hair. What is it, then? What do I love about Marilyn?

How can you know? There are those who will read these words and smile and nod, and say "Yes, I understand", and there are those who will just move on, unchanged. I can never do that. Marilyn changed me, her memory is a light in my life, my thoughts of her a comforting place where I can spend many hours without ever growing bored. I can look at her face, watch her on the screen over and over with out ever tiring of her. I love her. I guess it really is that simple, and maybe I don't need to explain why.