Poemtry & Verse
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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
got no money for butter.
And 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 public railings
And make up for the sobriety of
my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in
the rain
and pick flowers in other people's
gardens,
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible suits 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 practise a
little now?
So people who know me
are not too shocked and surprised,
When suddenly I am old
and start to wear purple!
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