“You’ll find that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile.” – Sir Charles (Charlie) Chaplin
–
If you just smile
If you know him
At all – through old
Black and white
Silent screen film
You may know he was rich
Knighted by the Queen
But it wasn’t always so
He made other people
Laugh – his gift
The bootstrap to pull
Himself from poverty
From deep insanity
Learning to read others
A vital defense mechanism
Served him well
Distract, divert attention
He mastered it all
Survival of the keenest
Reaching deep inside
His darkness – producing
A smile, then another
They became easier
They were natural
From deep inside his pain
Rescuing others from theirs
All the while, he smiled
Made others smile, laughing
Till they thought they would burst
Slapstick – a special gift
Self-taught, an avid reader
The common man related
Core smiles don’t lie
Eyes that twinkle and
Tell his secrets – little tramp
Bisous,
Léa
poetry, photos and musings oh my! 
Great words Lea 😊. I just loved it so much !!
Thank you so much. Check out his autobiography, it is so inspiring. 🙂
Thank you so much my friend. Thank you for choosing to follow one of my blogs and I do hope you continue to enjoy the posts and stop by and chat! 🙂 Do look for his autobiography and there was a film made about him in the 90’s, I believe, which tells some of his story. He was a remarkable man. I like to imagine how he would have made fun of some other politicians such as he did in The Dictator? 🙂
Ok Lea, I promise you that I will look up for his autobiography 😊. Please visit my blog and do let me know your feedback and suggestions. This is the link
http:// authorabhijith.com
Yes, I shall absolutely visit your blog and I hope you will let me know what you think of his book. Meanwhile, if you find someone without a smile, give them one of yours. Smiles are contagious! :))
Ok Lea 😊
Okay, I tried and it said that the blog had been removed by the author so if you have another link, please let me know. 🙂
Am so sorry for the inconvenience. It is a technical problem and I have informed the concerned. Please keep trying in the link below. Thank you so much for your kind concern 😊
http:// authorabhijith.com
No inconvenience my friend. Life is easier if we are flexible. Chaplin knew that better than anyone. Well, I do hope it all gets sorted out and please stop by to let me know so I can check it out. 🙂
No problem, I am there! 🙂
Ok 😊
🙂
Charlie Chaplin, the little tramp, was a giant of a man and a great thinker. His character’s final speech in The Great Dictator should be required viewing for every school’s civics class. I haven’t read the biography but have studied his film career. He and his family used to holiday regularly in Waterville, Co Kerry. Thank you, Lea, for reminding me of someone who should never be forgotten.
I read his autobiography last year and I couldn’t put it down the whole time. Actually, I haven’t seen any of his films but someone gave me a DVD of a film about him. It peaked my curiosity so I tracked down the bio. The rest they say is history and what a history! Now read the poem again or just go to youtube and listen to Nat King Cole sing Smile! It includes pics from The Kid and you, I promise, will smile. It was playing in my head as I wrote the piece. 🙂
There are countless versions of Smile. My favourite is by a Franco-American jazz singer, Madeleine Peyroux, https://youtu.be/lu0v81gYQVY. Tony Bennett has recorded a classic version, too. Chaplin’s early film work was innovative and he never failed to inject his ‘slapstick’ work with a subtle social message that made so many authorities in America so twitchy they forced him to leave, to their eternal discredit. You should see The Great Dictator and that final speech. https://youtu.be/w8HdOHrc3OQ
I shall check out both those links. Cole’s voice just seemed so perfect behind those clips from The Kid. I have ordered one of his films and the other is on the list. Eventually, I would love to see them all! Thank you for the links and sharing so much about Chaplin.
Can you imagine Chaplin’s response to Trump! I can laugh just thinking about it….
The You Tube reference I sent you of his speech in The Great Dictator answers this.
I look forward to it.
oh you make me curious to read a bit about his background – i have to confess that i know his movies but nothing about the person really… thanks Léa
Claudia, I read his autobiography last year after someone gave me a little film about him, I was intrigued. I still haven’t seen any of his films, only youtube clips but I have one on order. The autobiography I couldn’t put down. Happy reading!
BTW, thanks. If I can make you curious about him in a few words, I am pleased indeed.