His swift raw comic genius
reinvented the art of the fall,
reconfigured our reasons for laughter,
made those HOLLYWOOD letters stand tall
His desire for perfect impressions
fueled the wiggle within his moustache,
placed that swing in the cane he extended,
baffled foes with disheveled mad dash
In life, he loved to court women,
the mature, and those young as his craft
But the needs of his tramp siphoned love,
and until Oona, women just didn't last
A shabby rebel without a voice
who refused to speak when asked
who said more by prolonging a silence
angry censors could only let pass
His caring face unnerved politicians
His witty Hitler had given them gas
When the dust of the Second War settled
McCarthyism arose, monsterous
Frightened fans ran from his 'Limelight'
The Red Scare replaced trust in pathos
Little tramp responded by hiting dirt road
to raise family in Switzerland's Oz
c) C. Butler 2005
