Bits and bobs

"Warning"

by Jenny Joseph

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 people's gardens

And learn to spit

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat

And eat three 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

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry

And pay our 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 people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

"When I Am An Old Woman" is a delightful poem that speaks of growing old in a wonderfully outrageous style, when political incorretness or whimsical behaviour might be accepted "just because you're old".

It was written in 1961 by the British Jenny Joseph. This classic describes women's need for freedom from the usual social conventions. It is symbolized by the red hat worn with purple, which the Victorian fashion considered a no-no.

The poem is popularly known by many titles including "Warning", "When I Am An Old Woman", "The Purple Poem", "Purple" and by other affectionate names. It's cherished by thousands of women throughout the world and practically everyone enjoys its light humour above all the ending of the poem when it says: "But maybe I ought to practice a little now..."

The interest in the poem has grown over the years and there are a whole product line about the poem including cards, T-shirts, bookmarks, magnets, decorative boxes... and other gift products.