A 1940s Poet and New York's Mayor Once Rhymed About Street-Sign Typography

Gelett Burgess was an American poet who, when not writing nonsense nuggets like “The Purple Cow” and “The Goops,” obsessed about the design of 1940s-era New York street signs. His concern was certain numbers (damnable sixes and nines!) blended together when viewed at a distance, addling travelers and causing them to get off at the wrong bus stop.

Rather than sit silent on this typographic indignity, Burgess went to his typewriter and crafted a poem relating how the signs “smell to heaven.” This missive he sent to Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, who—amazingly—took the time to reply with his own rhymes. (Well, one likes to think it was the mayor, and not the staff bard.) The result: a charming, unexpected democratic dialog, and a promise to update the signs as soon as World War II ended.