'WARNING'

This is 'Warning' - a poem 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


OK, so maybe I won't wear purple, but I WILL continue to wear my bike gear, and ride my bike. This poem really sums up my attitude to life. I REFUSE to be dictated to by other people, or by what's trendy for 'women of a certain age'

I have to wear respectable clothes for work. The dress code is 'business casual', which means I can get away with wearing trousers (of the smart plain black variety), but not a lot else.

Haha, but if you want to see rebellion, check out the fluorescent socks, which are also often odd!