Find some pictures of trompe l'oeil outdoor murals and write descriptions about what elements you think make each one convincing.

Stanza 7 is a play on the old adage, "Even a stopped clock is right twice a day." Make a list of other things that are eventually right even if they do not move.

Make your own trompe l'oeil with a computer photo processing program, editing an image into a picture that readers will not immediately notice should not be there. Be sure to match the color and texture as much as possible.

The speaker of this poem realizes that the painted shutters are not real because the shadows from the latches fall in the wrong place. Find examples in films or television shows where shadows at the wrong angles ruin the illusion of reality and bring them to your class for discussion...