Kitti Fontain

WHEN I AM AN OLD WOMAN I SHALL WEAR PURPLEWhen 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! By Jenny Joseph