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 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.
I like the poem and enjoyed reading it several times – the older I get the less I care about what people think of me – is that what you are saying ? because that is what I think
The poem is making a statement, implying we often become more confident as we get older are happy to wear bright colours that make us feel good about ourselves and feel comfortable about who we are and where we are going. I feel that if you are comfortable with yourself then that shows on the outside as well as inside and people notice.
As far as being worried about “what people think” about you, it doesn’t really matter, it just shows they have noticed, its what you think of yourself that is important.