My Favorite Genre

As you know, the t-shirt is probably my favorite literary genre. So much has to be said in so little space, unless of course you are wearing an XXXL. And if you do wear an XXXL, people won't read your shirt for fear you will think they are staring. I realize that haiku and tweets share some of the appeal of the t-shirt in that they are condensed, but t-shirts have color and wit and they're literature that's walking around, and I just love all of that. To celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday and Read Across America month, my kids' elementary school has a whole calendar of great reading activities planned for March. Tomorrow is "Read Me Day" where everyone can wear readable clothing. I imagine this will be relatively tame and appropriate considering their age group. I'll never forget asking a fifteen year old boy in a sophomore lit class I taught years ago to turn his t-shirt inside out or put a jacket over it as it had a pretty vulgar joke about oral sex on the front. He good naturedly agreed to cover it up, and I couldn't help but ask him who does the laundry in his house. After he informed me that his mom does, I asked if the shirt bothered her. He though about it and replied that his father who was divorced from his mom gave him the shirt probably to "piss her off" but it backfired because she thought it was funny. Anyway, back to "Read Me Day." I am determined not to let it be like Pajama Day where my kindergartner was the only kid in his class wearing street clothes and he got off the bus and burst into tears at the end of the day. The guilt of motherhood is crippling sometimes! So the big kids have already selected their shirts for tomorrow:



I especially love Aaron's selection. Aren't rebus puzzles great? Remember the old VA DERS and
N
I
A
G
A
R
A ? (Space Invaders and Niagara Falls) When we went to Maine on vacation as kids my dad used to drink a New England beer, Narragansetts (referred to as "Gansetts" by the locals, I believe) that had rebus puzzles printed under the bottle caps. Oh how I loved those! The caps, not the beers.

In honor of "Read Me Day," here are a few pieces of t-shirterature I get a kick out of: