Undated: 'When I am an old woman ...'

"Warning" is a 1961 poem by British author Jenny Joseph about the delights of growing older. The first two lines:

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.

The poem appeared in the 1974 poetry collection "Rose in the Afternoon." In the late 1990s the reference to a red hat inspired the creation of The Red Hat Society.

* Watch Joseph read "Warning": @

* Poem in full: @

* Short biographies of Joseph: @ and @

* Red Hat Society website: @

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