“That inescapable animal walks with me, has followed me since the black womb held,” isn’t the normal writing you’d see in the bathrooms.

But in the English hallway men’s restroom, you are able to read poems while using the restroom. Michael Carriger, chairman of the English department, was the first to have the idea to put poems above urinals.

 Q: Why did you put poems above the urinals?

A: “For a while, the English Department has wanted to put a new focus on poetry, and we have been looking for every chance we have, can find, to put poems in front of students. It seemed like an opportunity to have students read a poem without needing to write about it or be graded on.”

Q: What was the criteria for the poems that you selected?

A: “None. If I like ‘em, then they go up.”

Q: Out of all the poems, which is your favorite and why?

A: “Oh I have no favorite. Who’s your favorite child? What’s your favorite cloud? They’re all good.”

Q: Did you have to get permission from anybody in order for this to happen?

A: “Not permission per say, but I did talk with Mr. [assistant principal Mike] Norris about getting the plastic sleeves to go up, and he’s the one that put those up for us. So it took us awhile. We wanted them up before parent teacher conferences, and we were able to put them up that week.”

Q: What has the response been like to the poems?

A: “I haven’t heard anything. I’ve seen a few giggles coming out of the bathroom, and I assume that’s about the poems. But nobody has really said anything about them.”

Q: Would other spots in the school seem like good destinations for more poetry?

A: ”Oh of course, but you know that too much of a good thing might be bad, so we’ll see. We’ll start here, and I don’t want to necessarily have to walk over the whole building all week putting up poems, so you know, we’ll see.”

Q: Has LHS done any things unusual like this in the past? If so, what?

A: “Well, we’ve had some strange things from time to time. Some teachers put some words or poems facing toward the street, and that was several years ago. And we’ve had like a March Madness with poetry, where students would select which poem would go to the next round. So we’ve done some things like this, but it is the first time in the bathroom.”

Q: Is the English Department planning anything else exciting and unusual for the school this year?

A: ”Everyday is exciting and unusual in the English department at Lawrence High School. Well no, but once a month Mr. [Bill] Patterson and The Graffiti staff put on an open mic poetry reading in the library, and we may have some contests and things coming up later on in the year. And National Poetry Month is in April, so we’ll probably do something around that, but you know everyday is exciting for us.”