Grandmother’s Varnish

The mug is heavy, cream-colored, thick.

It slipped my grip and hit the floor.

The ceramic held, a lucky trick,

but the wood won’t be the same no more.

A jagged white scar breaks the stain,

revealing the pine that’s cheap and soft.

She said the gloss hides all the grain,

and keeps the rot from going aloft.

I spent three years on this veneer,

polishing the boards until they glow.

The truth is finally showing here,

shining through from down below.