Do you ever wonder about the names
given to places of privacy and repose;
where person kind sits and surveys
the shape of feet and of the toes?
Many names describe these sites,
they’re varied and oft times funny.
There’s Lavatory, Long Drop
and the very definitive Dunny.
But that’s not the end of names
of places where we de-tox!
There’s Toilet, Rest Rooms, Latrine;
and the dramatic Thunder Box.
Dear Listener please wait!
There are more names I give to you
Please contemplate: Out-house, Bog
And the ever-popular Loo.
Carrying on with this latrine song,
there are other exotic places.
Like Khazi, John, and Convenience.
all dramatic private spaces.
But hold on! We’re not finished
in this search for a lavatorial name.
There is Water Closet, and Privy
Each can claim a chain to fame.
But the important name by far
for Nature’s vital reflectorium.
is the famous Roman watering hole
known as the Sanctum Lavatorium.
As we sit and joyfully reflect
think of the great debt that we owe;
to the Romans for the water feature
they invented so long ago!
Written by Bill Conroy
Bill Conroy is a Tauranga based freelance writer and poet with a particular interest in historical non-fiction and composing WW1 poetry.