The China Painters

I love Ted Kooser's poetry. The last line of every one is guaranteed to make you swoon.

The China Painters - Ted Kooser 

They have set aside their black tin boxes,   

scratched and dented,

spattered with drops of pink and blue;   

and their dried-up, rolled-up tubes   

of alizarin crimson, chrome green,   

zinc white, and ultramarine;

their vials half full of gold powder;   

stubs of wax pencils;

frayed brushes with tooth-bitten shafts;   

and have gone in fashion and with grace   

into the clouds of loose, lush roses,   

narcissus, pansies, columbine,   

on teapots, chocolate pots,

saucers and cups, the good Haviland dishes   

spread like a garden

on the white lace Sunday cloth,   

as if their souls were bees

and the world had been nothing but flowers.