Warning – 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 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.
Jenny Joseph
The “Red Hats” caught my attention while having lunch with a friend in Bernadotte.They seemed to be enjoying themselves a lot and so I asked them if I could take a photo.
They were very friendly, each of them smiling when I raised my camera. It was a perfect match.
I thanked them, letting them know I would come back and leave a photo for them at the restaurant.
The next day I went back with the photo in an envelope, saying “Thank you.”
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Vor etlichen Jahren haben mich Freunde zum lunch eingeladen und dabei ganz nebenbei gemeint, dass sie eine “Red Hats Gruppe” seien.
Auf meine Frage, was denn der Sinn und Zweck dieser Gruppe sei, hat man mir gesagt: “We only want to have fun.That’s it.”
Was für eine wohltuende Antwort.
Das Foto zusammen mit dem Gedicht war übrigens Teil meiner Foto – Ausstellung im Macomb Arts Center im Jahre 2019.
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