The Painted Vase

Brush up the pieces of the vase that's on the floor
And I will tell you stories that the vase can tell no more
It was born on a potters wheel in the town of Stoke-on-Trent
And painted by an artist who lived down south in Kent

And so the vase was bought, in 1863
Over the years it has become part of the family
It held the aspidistra that my grandma used to grow
Whenever they moved houses, so the painted vase would go

It saw the 14-18 war, but in 1942
A bomb dropped on the house, but it missed the sitting room
So the vase remained intact, and so it came to me
When the wills were read in the early spring of 1943

It's been with me since then, and as safe as safe could be
For hidden in that coloured glaze are many memories
It saw a hundred years, and maybe a wee bit more
So please pick up the pieces of the vase that's on the floor…

Please pick up the pieces of the vase that’s on the floor