I have been rolled and my shape cut by hand
Then using ancient techniques from far across lands,
My image and script hand carved in wet clay
With wisdom and poetry to inspire you each day.
Four different colours of clay then applied
To fill in those carvings and then left to dry.
Then to be scraped and my design now revealed
To be dried once again before I’m then sealed,
In a coating of glaze with a crackle for show
Then fired raw, so long and so slow.
So fragile and delicate at each stage I must be
Until I transform in the fires that embrace me
When I emerge, still warm to the touch
A stain is wiped over, a little, not much.
And then I am ready to be held in your hands
With magic and tales from far across lands.
Images, quotes and poetry sublime
All held eternal, in earth and in time.