"Warning" Poem by Jenny Joseph — "When I Grow Old, I Shall Wear Purple"

あなたは年を取ったときに、どんなことをしたいですか？(English) What do you want to do when you get old?

"Warning" Poem by Jenny Joseph — "When I Grow Old, I Shall Wear Purple"

A)

With April being 'National Poetry Month' and focusing on spreading awareness and appreciation of poetry, it seems appropriate to share a few favourites along the way.

The "Warning" poem by English poet Jenny Joseph (born May 7, 1932, in Birmingham) is one such poem because I hear her speaking to each of us, male or female, in an ode to nonconformity, one of my favourite rants and topics. In a humorous, tongue-in-cheek and fun way, Jenny Joseph conveys a severe message to all: never take ourselves too seriously or lose the twinkle in our eyes.

Age, after all, indeed is only a number. Contrary to earlier admonitions in my youth to the opposite — "Act your shoe size, not your age!" It's a lot more fun.

B)

"Warning" was penned in 1961 at the age of twenty-nine. Although having published many works in her lifetime and has received numerous awards, Jenny Joseph is best known for this defining poem. The second line inspired the founding of the Red Hat Society, the self-described playgroup for women where there is "Fun and Friendship After Fifty."

C)

"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.

D)

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.

E)

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain,

And pick flowers in other people's gardens,

And learn to spit.

F)

You can wear terrible shirts and grow fatter,

And eat three pounds of sausages at a go,

Or only bread and pickles for a week,

And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

G)

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 with and read the papers.

H)

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked,

When suddenly, I was old and started to wear purple.

I)

Interestingly, Jenny Joseph is not a fan of the colour purple in her wardrobe ("It doesn't suit me"), even though the two have perhaps become inseparably linked thru her poem. But for her to now wear purple against her tastes would be to conform to widespread expectations, which is really what the poem is about.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting with us. Remember, one small act of kindness can change someone's whole day or life. So be the reason someone smiles today! — Jim (and Red!)

"Warning" Poem by Jenny Joseph — "When I Grow Old, I Shall Wear Purple"
APRIL 19, 2017 / JRMILSON

https://jamesmilson.com/2017/04/19/warning-poem-by-jenny-joseph-when-i-grow-old-i-shall-wear-purple/