RKS LITERATURE: “I Hate and I Love”: Bright White Teeth Cleaned by Urine

Posted byRobert K Stephen (CSW)Posted inliteratureTags:, , , ,

Because he has bright white teeth Egnatius whips out a tooth flash on all possible

& impossible) occasions.

You’re in court. Counsel for defence

concludes a moving peroration (Grin.)

At a funeral,

on all sides heartbroken

mothers weep for only sons. (Grin.)

Where, when, whatever the

place or time – grin. It could be a sort of “tic”. If so it’s

a very vulgar tic, Egnatius,

& one to be rid of.

A Roman, a Tiburtine or

Sabine, washes his teeth.

Well-fed Umbrians & over

fed Etruscans wash theirs

daily. The dark Lanuvians

(who don’t need to), and we

Veronese. All wash our teeth…

But we keep them tucked in.

We spare ourselves the nadir of

inanity – inane

laughter. You come from Spain. Spaniards

use their morning urine

for tooth-wash. To us that blinding

mouthful means one thing &

one only – the quantity of

urine you have swallowed.

 “I Hate and I Love”, Catullus (84 BCE-54 BCE)

Published by Robert K Stephen (CSW)

Robert K Stephen writes about food ,drink, travel, film, and lifestyle issues. He also has published serialized novels "Life at Megacorp", "Virus # 26, "Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog" and "The Penniless Pensioner" Robert was the first associate member of the Wine Writers’ Circle of Canada. He also holds a Mindfulness Certification from the University of Leiden and the University of Toronto. Be it Spanish cured meat, dried fruit, BBQ, or recycled bamboo place mats, Robert endeavours to escape the mundane, which is why he has established this publication. His motto is, "Have Story, Will Write."

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