I was on the way to my accountant’s office (tax time, don’t you love it?) when this sign stopped me cold:

Is the building bragging or warning? I didn’t know and had no way to find out. So too with this sign, which I spotted in Madrid:

Translated, this sign proclaims “GROUP ZERO” in pink and “POETRY AND PSYCHOANALYSIS” in smaller, black lettering. The illustration seems to promise a Freudian experience, but where does poetry come in?

I bet whoever created this sign would answer, “Everywhere!”

Somehow Poetry Alouders, with or without an exclamation point, sounds more joyous than “Open Mic.” Plus, if you read the pink letters aloud, you hear the homonym allowed, which makes a better statement than this ad does:

Perhaps this landlord should have a chat with the ARTIST RESIDING IN BUILDING. Fear of art, as well as fear of nearly anything, tends to dissipate with human connection. And just for the record — artists, shrinks, alouders, and poets are all welcome in my home.