Hi Roz,
When I saw this poem I thought of you (in the nicest possible way), and I think that you will see the humour and honesty in it, that I believe you always portray in your posts.
WHEN I AM AN OLD WOMEN
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn?t go, and doesn?t
Suit me
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and
Summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we?ve no money
For butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement
When I?m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press
Alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other peoples gardens
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible skirts and grow fat
And eat pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and
Beermats and things in boxes
And now we must have clothes that
Keep us dry.
And pay rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children
We must have friends to dinner and
Read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So that people who know me are not too
Shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old and start to
Wear purple.
Jenny Joseph
