That is Priceless by Steve Melcher for September 25, 2024

/// Four Sournoise sisters gather to gaze

at the pictures one found on The Vase,

which boldly portrays

a nude satyr who “plays”

with nude nymphs and the lust he displays.

“The marking here proves this is genuine kitch.”

OK Ma, that’s the last of the stuff in her pocket. Let’s get the hell out of here.

Before she said “let them eat cake”/

Marie Antoinette s worst mistake/

Was taking her turn/

To pee in the urn/

That everyone knew was a fake..

It says right here, I get to play post office every afternoon, Want me to deliver some male?

“And this is my magic nose goblin collection!”

“See right there, a number 6, they missed a spot.”

times like this, I wish I knew what West Elm was.

What’s a Greek urn? Oh, minimum wage…

I do wish Mother would stop styling our wardrobes around her latest vahze.

Jeanine, pointing out to her sisters where Papa hid the spy cam.

“That’s my gum.”

“Or a label saying ‘Made by slave labor in Xinjiang’.”

Had to look up West Elm… I learn more stuff on the comics page

“See? ‘Made in China’. Like all the best stuff.”

“The Vase Earth Society” inspecting their new line of globes.

The vase: 

Paste (including the quote marks) 

“Category:Paintings of vases” Wikimedia 

(syntax supported by the Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, and Brave search engines) in the browser address bar (or search for it using one of those search engines) and choose the first Category: found, and once there find the text string Jules, and click its link for info and links that point to more info about this roughly jumbo envelope size painting. 

Again, a larger strip image is shown by (Ctrl- or right-) clicking the image in Mr. Melcher’s MASTERPIECE #3381 (September 25, 2024) blog entry, accessible by the Check out the blog! box after the last comment, and using the dropdown menu (even larger, if you trim what’s after .jpg from the URL). I have added a comment there pointing to the info I found about this artist I used to point to here. So far, only work by him used here.

It reads: Caution, oversaturated colors can cause seizures and difficulty reedling.

See, it’s real. it has “made in china” right there is small letters.

Rabbit glue works wonders. You can’t even see where I broke it in two.

As they stared much amazed upon the vase

The girls each saw a view of her own face

The surface seemed so smooth and opaque

But then the colors swirled dizzily to take

On strange shapes within that space

.

The eldest girl saw a firm scene to resolve

Into what she thought she wanted it to involve —

A godlike man would take her hand in marriage

And off they would ride in his fantastic carriage

.

Girl number two had a similar fate

A bit more complex and hard to relate

In meeting the man she had meant to wed

She began to ride on the journey but instead

Fell from the horse and in dying met her Fate

.

What magic was this in the elaborate urn?

And why was it hidden away, for what concern?

Young ladies, remember the Ode by Keats

That ancient Grecian, this one in age far beats

Oh, nothing good from it would you learn

.

An Imp, as suggested by Stevenson?

Or Jinn from Arab Nights, another one?

Your True Love is not within to be seen

Turn away from that Vase, your eyes do screen

Fate is fickle and seeing now the truth’s not done