Warning

 

The first poem I am adding is a very well known one by Jenny Joseph called “Warning”.  It deals with the topic of getting older, daring to have fun and not worry about what others might think. The main character is a woman, but the theme is just as appropriate for a man. Maybe you might like to write it from a man’s perspective?

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 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.

 

Why poetry and not prose or a story?

Yes, I know lots of people are put off by the term poetry but that is usually because they had a bad experience at school or they “won’t understand it”. Bear with me and I am sure you will start to see the value in these wonderful, crafted pieces of writing.

Think of poetry as painting with words. The poems I will choose will be short, some written by well known poets and other written by me. Hopefully some will relate to you, whether it is something funny, sad, thought provoking and hopefully memorable.

Occasionally I will drop in a few ideas for you to try writing your own poems. Don’t have high expectations. This writing is for you. Only share if you wish to but having written about something that is important to you, you might like to show someone. Initially I hand write my poems. There is something special about holding a favourite pen or pencil. Here is a poem I wrote a long time ago about my preference to write using a pencil.

TO BE or NOT 2B

How I envy the yobs who,

with midnight skill,

tag uninhibited

on bridges and buildings

in brilliant colours.

Even graffiti on signs,

trains and buses

show a boldness from which

most of us recoil.

 

We may possess the tools,

hiding in drawers and pots

ready for us to compose

our first clumsy thoughts

 

There are roller balls,

fountain pens and biros

in rainbow colours

waiting for a call to action.

 

But in my small leather case

I have soft erasers

and newly sharpened pencils

that wait for my words.

 

And they wait patiently.