And C is for calcium, it’s hard and it’s white,
The same goes for D which is for dolomite.
E is for elements glowing red-hot,
Is it fun to replace them? Hell no, it is not.
F is for flint and for firing too,
Two things without which potting you cannot do,
G is for glazing, whether pour, spray, or dip,
H is hand-building: roll out, score and slip.
I is for iron, it gives brown, green and blue,
J is for jug, we’ve all made quite a few.
K is for kiln where we fire our pots,
L is for luck, of which we can use lots.
M is for matte glaze, it pleases the eye,
N’s nepheline syenite, known as neph sy,
O is for oxides, of which glaze is full,
P is for how we make handles: we pull.
Q is for quench: to add water to glaze,
R is raku, with effects that amaze,
S is for sponge and for shelf and for scale,
And S is for what pots are for: they’re for sale.
T is for throw and for turn and for trim,
And Tucker: oh, what would we do without him?*
U is for underglaze, use it to paint
Designs bold and garish or charming and quaint.
V is for venting the kiln’s smelly gas,
W’s for wheel and W’s for wax,
And wedging – that’s hard work, it makes us perspire,
Kiln elements give us our X, xanthol wire.
My grandmother always said that Y’s a crooked letter.
Perhaps you can think of a line that is better!
Z is for zircopax, Z is for zinc,
And that is the end of the alphabet, I think.
*Frank Tucker, of Tucker’s Pottery Supplies. If you are not in or near Toronto, you might substitute
T is for turn and for trim and for throw,
Do all of them well and they’ll say you’re a pro.
