Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Talking to Marilyn," by Allison Joseph, uses the framework of a séance to explore cultural obsession with Marilyn Monroe, dissecting the ways in which her public persona overshadows her humanity. Joseph creates a sharp critique of the reductive glamourization of Monroe’s image, juxtaposing the complex, multifaceted person against the glittering ideal her fans and imitators pursue.

The poem opens with a group of psychics attempting to summon Monroe’s spirit, but their intentions are immediately called into question. They "don’t want to see that version of you from The Misfits," the aging, emotionally battered Monroe who clung to Clark Gable?s character in a film that mirrored her real-life struggles. Nor do they want the "shy Norma Jean," whose natural beauty and fresh-faced innocence evoke a different, more authentic narrative. Instead, the séance participants seek the exaggerated, idealized Monroe—the one immortalized in Hollywood iconography, all "spike-heeled" glamour and "pouty red lips." This version of Marilyn is an artifice, a carefully constructed image that has persisted as a cultural fixation.

Joseph uses iconic moments from Monroe’s career to highlight the superficiality of this fixation. The Marilyn the psychics desire is the woman "who stood over the subway grate, white dress billowing," a frozen image of playful sexuality. She is also the Marilyn of Some Like It Hot, whose exaggerated femininity ("wiggle," "bejeweled and flirty") captivated the male gaze. These carefully curated memories strip Monroe of her depth and suffering, reducing her to a set of poses, a series of roles that cater to fantasy rather than reality.

The psychics’ motives are exposed as shallow and self-serving. They "want star power," desiring Monroe’s "breathy with confidence" voice to validate their séance and bring her glamour into their dimly lit room. Yet, Joseph subtly critiques these attempts, emphasizing the gulf between their idealized vision and the real, complicated Monroe. The psychics "don’t want" her pain or her struggles; they seek only the polished surface, the Marilyn of "more movies to make, more photos to shoot," ignoring the tragedy of a life lived under relentless scrutiny.

Joseph’s speaker, observing the séance and led there by her Aunt Magdalena, provides a critical, skeptical counterpoint. The speaker recognizes the futility of this attempt to summon a spirit that "doesn’t want to surface tonight," as Madame Gina concludes. Monroe’s "no," delivered through the séance medium, becomes a poignant refusal to participate in her own commodification. This rejection underscores Monroe’s exhaustion, a refusal to be further consumed by a world that continues to misunderstand her.

The poem closes with the speaker’s quiet departure, carrying her "doubt" out into the daylight. Joseph contrasts the artificial glow of the séance with the "harsh glaring light" of reality, emphasizing the dissonance between fantasy and truth. The speaker’s skepticism is not just about the séance itself but also about the broader cultural mythos surrounding Monroe. The "legend" Monroe becomes is ultimately a construct, obscuring the complexities of the woman behind it.

"Talking to Marilyn" examines the ways in which icons are stripped of their humanity, transformed into repositories of collective longing and projection. Through incisive imagery and a keen awareness of cultural dynamics, Joseph critiques the ongoing commodification of Marilyn Monroe, exposing the voyeurism and shallowness of those who seek to resurrect her. At its heart, the poem is a meditation on the nature of fame, the persistence of myths, and the difficulty of reconciling these with the messy, real lives of those who bear their weight.

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