The original 'Warning, When I Am an Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple' poem was written by Ms. Joseph in 1961 when she was thirty years old, a stunning treatise of aging expressed with intense feelings and description, and her poetically stated intentions that were quite exquisitely out of the ordinary!

It was not originally widely accepted in Britishpublication but when it was printed in the New York Times, it became a globally well-known and expressive icon of women's aging and freedom. In a poll offered by the BBC in 1996, her poem was accepted as the most popular post-war poetry ever published in British history.

Joseph's second-line poetic words became the inspiration for the Red Hat Society that has been popular over the globe. Love and laughter are the backbone and ribs of this club for ladies, delightful wearers of red hats and purple clothing with other red accessories. Their individualized yet intwined society expresses the joy of life in self and others, much like the poetic expression of Ms. Joseph's "Warning..." poem.

Some of the distinctly uncommon statements made in Jenny's poem are delightful surprises. Others are quite stunning in shock value for the most of todays staid 'elderizing' ladies, for 'spitting in public places' is certainly not a feminine nor fashionable way to either express or describe one's actions. Neither is 'chawing' if it may be so expressed snidely behind a scented hanky. But the pronounciations of feminine freedom and abilities with the admission of self fulfillment and freely voiced activities by Ms. Joseph are both readable, understandable, and though one may not fully agree with her stated 'freedoms', one must accept that every individual may pursue the right of individual expression, and that very individual 'marching drum music'!

If your curiosity is agile enough, you may click on a link to read Jenny's "Warning" at the bottom of this hub. I hope you will also enjoy reading mine!

So in more gracious manner, here is my own personal version of aging and hope - and a less eccentric individualism, expressed in 'My Purple Poem':

When I am an old woman, I will wear purple!

Yes, and hot pink with roses that smell

(if you scratch them) so wonderfully well!

I shall wear my purple and pink in the fall

and not worry should 'looks' follow, wherever I stall.

On the sidewalk or street bench I'll sit in the sun,

and never get up until I am done.

Yes, wearing purple I'll feel such a queen,

and won't mind a bit when some watch me preen.

In fact, I'll enjoy a sneak peak now and then

just to see if they wonder, and smile once again.

I'll wear my bright purple and feed squirrels and birds,

enjoying their friendship without any words.

Yes, sharing these songs of the feathered and furry,

I'll hear all the sounds of this world without worry.

Green leaves rustle tunes for each season they last,

till winter has come and their sound is all past.

Those greyed branches that tremble and lift to the sky

are rooted in earth that holds spring's bright sigh!

So, aging and newness walk life altogether,

and holding each other they face any weather.

For spring comes again, and then summer's bloom,

before autumn's cooling portrays winter's loom...

Ah! And I have worn purple, and looked in the eye

of each day and each storm that has come and passed by!

Sure, wearing my roses and bright purple hue,

I'll smile at the world and...perhaps at you too!

(While you may be thinking 'You'll wear purple too!)

Beginning in the newness of Spring, we enter summertime with its bright flowers; then autumn dances in with beautiful golden-rust hue. Soon blasts in winter, cold and icy and sometimes bleak. Laden with its frosty patterns, each winter dawn brings us closer to another Spring-- and hope and laughter resounding in magnificent grandeur of color and music that is againSpringtime!

May Spring bring you misty dews and greenness.

May Summer fill your work and play with fun!

May Autumn brush your ears with rustling sound,

throw wildest colors, warming every one, ev'n

as Winter's crystal flakes smooth out the ground

on which you step so carefully. So lovingly...

upon your designated way, your personal journey...

Will you be wearing purple too?

In therapeutic light treatment, purple is considered decongestive, a combination of vibrational red and calming blue frequencies. Purple, a many shaded color form, is royalty; princely and stimulating, even while alerting the eyes and cellular structures to observe its calming powers. (Does that mean it also gets you 'unstuck' from tradition, social expectedness? Perhaps that was a beginning thought of Jenny Joseph in writing her famous poem?)

This royal mixture, purple - with vibrant red power and stimulatory properties; with serenity of blue and its healing frequencies - might represent in life that ability to reach beyond our own traditions, our own inner personality tendencies, and creatively grasp some of those risky and exciting moments that will come our way along our seasonal journey. Perhaps your shade of purple - or pink - will become a tiny statement of your life intention too.

And hot pink roses...? That is just to help one grasp their representation of those unexpected and surprising moments that show up so wonderfully now and then. And aren't you one of those delightful persons who just luv those magazine 'scratch and sniff' pictures? Let's wear our purple and pink, sit on park benches and whistle at those birdies, crackle at the skittering squirrels, and peek to see if anyone cares!    Wear your colors with glee!