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    The Mouth of Truth, also known as the Bocca della Verità, is a colossal Roman marble relief in Rome, Italy, which stands against the left wall of the portico of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin church, near the site of the ancient Forum Boarium (the ancient cattle market). According to enduring medieval legend, it will bite off the hand of any liar who places their hand in its mouth, or, alternatively, any who utters a lie while their hand is in the mouth. It still attracts many visitors who audaciously insert their hands.

    The massive marble mask weighs about 1300 kg (2800 lbs) and probably depicts the face of the sea titan god Oceanus. The eyes, nostrils and mouth are open. It was possibly used as a drain cover in the nearby Temple of Hercules Victor, which had an oculus—a round open space in the middle of the roof, similar to that of the Pantheon. Hence, it could rain inside. It is also thought that cattle merchants used it to drain the blood of cattle sacrificed to the god Hercules. In the thirteenth century the disc was probably removed from the temple and placed against the wall of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin. In the seventeenth century it eventually moved to its current location inside the portico of the church.

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    “There has been mild pain long enough.

    I want the stones out of my shoes and my rocks to be less heavy.

    I want to stop adjusting and begin celebrating.

    I want fresh air

    and a golden laugh

    and a hand to hold

    and beautiful things to look at.

    I want spiritual enlightenment

    and pretty handwriting

    a tidy room

    and freedom of the soul.

    And I’m going to make it so.”

    ‘Aspirations,’ - Megan’s Poetry #416

    Megan's Poetry
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