Many poems speak to a “you” who is not you the reader. And when a poem addresses an inanimate object – like an urn or even a bar of soap – it’s especially clear that readers aren’t being addressed directly. But Jonathan Culler argues that these poems do address their readers, it’s just indirect. Poems that address goddesses, fictional characters and even inanimate objects allow readers to relate to the “you” and the “I” of a poem in complex, fluid and surprising ways.