Optical Illusion Poem by Alessandra Liverani

Smokers standing in the street
An illusion their minds cannot defeat
Year after year, decade after decade
This illusion never falters or fades

Like the high tide coming in, filling every cranny and nook
Though it never recedes, it's permanently booked
Swirling through every part of their mind
Tightening, twisting, strengthening the bind

How sad to see someone controlled by an illusion
Controlled by delusion and confusion
Controlled by something which arrived out of thin air
To stay forever, leaving only despair

(Sydney, Australia - 2005)