Telling Phrases - Dr Seuss's Birthday Tuesday March 2 Wear Stripes

Another Billboard. School this time, not church.
3 lines of text. Imperative mood - but interestingly, I read it as an invitation, not an instruction - and so did the pupils of the school - some had Dr Seuss hats, some wore stripes, and some did not participate. And yet nothing about the sign other the context indicated that it was an optional suggestion only. Even more surprising that the general interpretation of optional would match the intended one (I checked with a teacher - they wanted to encourage, not insist) given that the same billboard often carries messages such as "closing early for snow".
It also set me off on a number of trains of thought. I felt that the injunction to "wear stripes" stifled a potentially wider creativity of responding to a Dr Seuss theme, and wondered at the logic behind it - perhaps to save parents significant costume expense - perhaps to prevent the kind of mayhem/party atmosphere that can invade a school during full themed costume days.

It inspired me to respond a la Seuss

My name is Mike and Stripes I do not like.
Stars and spots and dots are cool to wear to school
but Stripes I do not like.

My name is Mike and birds and frogs I like
Ducks and cows and hens are perfect for my shirts
but Stripes I do not like.

My name is Mike and Stripes I do not like

I ran out of inventiveness quite rapidly therre - but you get the idea!