Gallows Nymph: La pisse

 

“You needn't blame yourself”

Startled, he raised his head to look at her, finding she was already regarding him

“In ancient Rome, urine was regularly used to wash their hair

...and their teeth.”

She finished with her reassuring, wining smile, as the tallow of

his mixed, yellowed seeds ran off the coil of her regal hair and cheeks

“It's as sweet as you are.”

Fact, in ancient Rome, vessels for collecting urine were commonplace on streets–passers-by would relieve themselves into them and when the vats were full their contents were taken to a fullonica (a laundry), diluted with water and poured over dirty clothes. A worker would stand in the tub of urine and stomp on the clothes, similar to modern washing machine’s agitator.