Have you ever lost important keys, your heart has filled with dread <br />Or had to wear ill fitting shoes that pained you half to death <br />But the keys you then found oh what relief, it really made your day <br />And those nasty shoes, you took them off and whew, the pain went away <br /> <br />Although you found the keys with such joy you didn't think it wise <br />To lose them once again on purpose just to realise <br />That if you found them yet again you'd feel that joy once more <br />You didn't put the shoes back on to happily take them off again, I'm sure <br /> <br />But the relief and pleasure a smoker feels when they light up a smoke <br />Is caused by the ending of unease and pain and that is what is the joke <br />The smoker has an unconscious fear which permeates his life <br />That his nicotine levels have gone too low and that this will give him such strife <br /> <br />Each time he lights a cigarette the fear vanishes for a short time <br />He draws back deep, he sighs relief but doesn't realise his crime <br />That the pleasure and comfort he loves to feel are caused by the ending of doubt and pain <br />As soon as he finishes his cigarette it starts all over again <br /> <br />Much more time is spent in angst and pain only briefly spent in pleasure <br />If he could remove his fear of low nicotine he could sit back and relax at leisure <br /> <br /> <br />(Sydney, Australia - 2003)<br /><br />Alessandra Liverani<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/pleasure-and-pain/
