What do you think of this poem? Its tone, point of view and theme? Please elaborate.?

Question

The Death of Marilyn Monroe

The ambulance men touched her cold
body, lifted it, heavy as iron,
onto the stretcher, tried to close the
mouth, closed the eyes, tied the
arms to the sides, moved a caught
strand of hair, as if it mattered,
saw the shape of her breasts, flattened by
gravity, under the sheet
carried her, as if it were she,
down the steps.

These men were never the same. They went out
afterwards, as they always did,
for a drink or two, but they could not meet
each other's eyes.

Their lives took
a turn--one had nightmares, strange
pains, impotence, depression. On did not
like his work, his wife looked
different, his kids. Even death
seemed different to him--a place where she
would be waiting,

and one found himself standing at night
in the doorway to a room of sleep, listening to a
woman breathing, just an ordinary
woman
breathing.

I didn't write the poem. It's a poem I recently read, and can't put my finger on what exactly is the point it wants to get across.

Also, I can't find a word for its tone.

Answer 1

Lose the word ambulance, seems to ruin the flow of the first verse. Rework the punctuation so that the thoughts of the poem are not so fractured.

The men touched her cold body,
Lifted it, heavy as iron, onto the stretcher,
Tried to close the mouth, closed the eyes,
Tied the arms to the sides,
Moved a caught strand of hair, as if it mattered,
Saw the shape of her breasts,
Flattened by gravity under the sheet,
Carried her, as if it were she,
Down the steps.

The idea of the poem is wonderful, but the last verse doesn't seem to do the rest of the poem justice.
How about something like this?

And one found himself standing at night,
In a doorway to a room of sleep,
Inside a young girl breathing,
Dreaming of becoming the next Monroe.

Answer 2

I don't think the writer is talking about the body of Marilyn herself, but rather what she represented. She was an icon, a symbol to many. She was beautiful. She had a sense of innocence about her. She was used by so many. Perhaps this author is really suggesting the death of an era or a dream they or someone else once had.

Answer 3

It's very cliche. Not well written. Until the last stanza, which actually shows promise.