Painted Pots

by Elaine Ware

When the raku magic show

comes to town, even babes catch the excitement--

the excitement of performance art.

Painting their own little pots

with pastel pigments,

kids have a ball--

have a ball splotching on color after color.

They "ooohhh" when the magician,

the ultimate firey showman,

lifts the glowing hot pots

from the kiln;

waves them in the air;

ignites them with newspapers

for a smoky effect, and

plunges them hissing into

a water bath to cool.

Transfixed by the spectacle,

children begin to appreciate pottery--

appreciate pottery and their own creativity

as they carry home their little painted pots.

This poem is based on a photograph from Bruce Finch and Deborah Lipman's article, "On the Road with Raku"

in Pottery Making Illustrated, Winter 2001, p. 29.

Back