Curtain Call

...a tribute to Marilyn Monroe

Curtain Call

 

 

She was poetry in motion,

with a tenacity to be

whatever the camera wanted.

 

She was “Roslyn” in “The Misfits,”

the quintessential woman

with all the naivety of a child.

Inside, there was a spirit

ever longing to be free,

ever yearning to be more than just

the projected image

reflected in the telephoto lens.

 

She dreamed of perfection,

was desperate to cling to it

like Natalie Wood in “Splendor in the Grass”,

pacifying the reviews of movie critics

and gossipmongers

in an attempt

to validate her soul.

 

The Hollywood lights began to fade.

Her youth was spent

lost in a cocktail of champagne and pills,

of dreams and men

that never fulfilled her.

 

Her life was a stage.

And she was Norma Jeane.     

 

 

 

Author's Note

...she would have been 92 years young!

Reviews

[barleygirl]

WOW! Hard to believe your authors note! Love this poem. There have been many written, but yours feel more unique & personal, like you're telling us about your sister instead of a star. I didn't follow her myself, but I still have great admiration for the way she lived her life despite all the sharks wanting a bite while not even wanting to know the woman inside that beauty - to me, the main thing to say & you said it well (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Kelly Scheppers]

Thank you, Margie. I appreciate the kindness of your words!

[‘Thoughts In Time..]

And what an amazing and wonderful woman she was - sometimes caught up in the lenses of cameras and trying to beceverything all wanted her to be is a trap one cannot escape- but she lived she loved and she learnt- wonderful she was..🌹

[Kelly Scheppers]

...that's all she ever wanted to be - was wonderful! Thank you!

[Coyote Poetry]

A woman, loved by the public and her public life kept secret. Thank you Kelly for sharing the amazing poem for a lady of beauty and mystery.
Coyote

[Kelly Scheppers]

I once read that you are only "gone" when you are forgotten...and she shall never be! Many blessings to you, John!

[Coyote Poetry]

I agree Kelly. Never forgotten.

[Cherrie Palmer]

Women still try to emulate her. She had lots of tragedy that shadowed her joys, and losing her was a true loss.

[Kelly Scheppers]

...thank you, Cherrie. I believe it was a great loss!

[Chris Shaw]

A wonderful portrayal of an incredibly beautiful woman. Far more intelligent than she was given credit for, yet so, so vulnerable. An icon indeed who will not be forgotten.

Chris

[Kelly Scheppers]

Well said, Chris! Thank you!

[Chris Shaw]

You are welcome Kelly. Hope all is good in your world.

[Stella Armour]

Aww bless her, who would have thought she would still be so famous after all these years ...

[Kelly Scheppers]

I often think of how thrilled she would be. Thank you, Stella!

[Stella Armour]

She would be thrilled to see this tribute ..

[jacob erin-cilberto]

and often i bet she wanted to just go back to being Norma Jean...and not the one singing Happy Birthday to Kennedy---or being the pinup, pent up emotionally and mentally Marilyn.
this is a really perfect portrait of her---you are so good, Kelly.....so good.

[Kelly Scheppers]

I get chills every time I read it. Thank you, Jacob. I really appreciate that!

[Will Neill]

A beautiful yet tortured soul Kelly and a convenient death for some who feared her secrets. A fitting yet sad tribute. Lovely.
Will

[Kelly Scheppers]

Thank you, Will!

[Ted Kniffen]

She seemed to be so much more than that breathless giddy 'Happy Birthday Mr. President'. Another poor soul used up by public demand.
Good write Kelly.

[Kelly Scheppers]

I agree with you on that, Ted. She was so much more! Thank you!

[Dara]

A lovely soul who struggled to keep her head above water midst a public hungry to know her every move and her desire to escape from her past. Her need to be loved was so evident but sadly she never seemed to find it. This magnificent tribute to her celebrates her in a way that she so deserved. Beautifully written Kelly!

[Kelly Scheppers]

I think for every man who loved her, there was a woman wanting to be her friend. Thank you, Dara!