Even the sleeping kettle has stories to tell. – Terri Guillemets, “What the house things hear,” 1996

…creases like the leathern boot of Tartar horsemen, curl like the dewlap of a mighty bullock, unfold like a mist rising out of a ravine, gleam like a lake touched by a zephyr, and be wet and soft like a forest floor newly swept by rain. – Luwuh, Chaking, regarding selection of the best quality tea leaves

Find yourself a cup; the teapot is behind you. Now tell me about hundreds of things. – Saki (H.H. Munro), “Tea”