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Warning
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 pickles 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.
- Jenny Joseph
( I just bought a gift for my mother. Cut for bandwidth. )
It was too perfect not to buy. I'm not sure what I'll do with it, really, because I don't know where Mom's grave will be or when her remains will be interred, or anything, really. I considered wearing the hat to Mom's funeral, but wearing of hats in Mormon churches Is Not Done. I may hold it in my lap though, just because. I also considered buying one for each of my sisters, but I wasn't sure if they'd want one. It's too late to call, but I'll call in the morning and ask.
I wanted to explain the hat to everyone in the store, to tell them how my mother loved the poem and how I'm buying her the hat even though... I didn't, but I wanted to. I was there to buy some dress clothes for the boys in case they want to attend the funeral. I did that.
EDIT: I IMed with![[livejournal.com profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
redrita about it. She thought it was a neat idea and that my sisters and I could wear the hats during the post-cemetary church meal thing, where the mood is more relaxed and where we wouldn't be shocking/offending anyone by breaking norms and unspoken rules. I'll be pushing it enough with my buzzcut.
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 pickles 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.
- Jenny Joseph
( I just bought a gift for my mother. Cut for bandwidth. )
It was too perfect not to buy. I'm not sure what I'll do with it, really, because I don't know where Mom's grave will be or when her remains will be interred, or anything, really. I considered wearing the hat to Mom's funeral, but wearing of hats in Mormon churches Is Not Done. I may hold it in my lap though, just because. I also considered buying one for each of my sisters, but I wasn't sure if they'd want one. It's too late to call, but I'll call in the morning and ask.
I wanted to explain the hat to everyone in the store, to tell them how my mother loved the poem and how I'm buying her the hat even though... I didn't, but I wanted to. I was there to buy some dress clothes for the boys in case they want to attend the funeral. I did that.
EDIT: I IMed with
redrita about it. She thought it was a neat idea and that my sisters and I could wear the hats during the post-cemetary church meal thing, where the mood is more relaxed and where we wouldn't be shocking/offending anyone by breaking norms and unspoken rules. I'll be pushing it enough with my buzzcut.
