Casanova Making Love To Charlie Chaplin Poem by Dónall Dempsey

“Alright! Alright!
Who am I? ”

You want to play?
Charades...eh?

Naked, you...

put on an imaginary
bowler hat

do a funny
Charlie Chaplin walk

wriggling an imaginary tache twirling an imaginary cane

going cross
eyed!

”Well, well...who am I? ”

“You, little tramp! ” I sneer.

“You really had me fooled there! ”

For a second I thought
you were a delicious naked woman
prancing ‘round like a prat in a hat in a flat.

But I realised
(just in time)

you were really him
...Charlie Chaplin.

“Ok! Ok!
Now...who am I? ”

I take her
in my arms

bend her over backwards
in a mad tango of passion

& kiss her

deeply & long! ”

“Well, well...who am I? ”

She doesn’t know.
She gives up.

“I’m Casanova! ” I cry.

The mirror
observes

without batting an eye

Casanova

making love to

Charlie Chaplin.