Unlovely red vase of family fable
Out of place on my shelf or table.
Ill-suited ornament bequeathed with love.
Aunt Tess watches over us from above.
With loathing I dust you, oh, cursed of vases!
Entwined with grapes, flowers and strange faces.
I am your keeper, a reluctant heir,
To you the ugliest of heirlooms rare.
When I am gone, you must take your turn,
To share space, and dust dear Aunt Tess’s urn.
