Spring 2011, Volume 10

Poetry by Larry Lawrence

Studio Apartment, 1988

In the morning the chemicals
of permanent wave solutions
came up from the haircutters
the scent of burning hair always
made us sick to our stomachs.
In the afternoon the exhaust fans
from the pizza parlor next store
blew fresh garlic and marinara sauce
into the bedroom windows, making
us hungry and wanting to order pizza.
At dinnertime from our own little
kitchen stove came the scent of
boiled hot dogs, fideos, and instant coffee.
Late in the evening the young drunks
from the Knight Club next door pissed,
hollered, and carried on in the alley.
Luckily we did not smell it, as we tried
to fall asleep in the place we always
remember having our “best of times.”

 

 

BIO: Larry Lawrence was born and raised in South Jersey. He left his
hometown to attend Rutgers University and studied playwriting at Mason
Gross School of the Arts. Currently he teaches the Gifted & Talented
in several elementary schools. He has been writing and reading poems
for many years. He travels frequently to locations in the Southeastern
United States. Being a committed writer, avid father and devoted
sports fan are essential to his life.