Elvis would have been 81 today.

I wrote my best poem, The King, about Elvis.  I adored the early Elvis as he came up in synch with my teenage hormonal awakening. 

Then he had to go into the Army.

I once had a momentary one on one exchange with him.  It was in his post Army-Vegas period.  My Damon Runyon father had taken me to Vegas as a coming of age graduation present. 

One night I wandered over to a near empty crap table, put my money on the line, looked up and across the table and there he was in all his handsome majesty.  It was just the two of us.  Seizing the momenent, I managed to squeeze out "It's quiet tonight" to which he responded "yeah man" and then he was gone. 

I often lament this limp moment of truth performance and imagine that if I could have engaged him I could have somehow saved him from what lay ahead. 

So sorry Elvis.  Happy Birthday! You were The King!