Poetry Defeats the Ageing Process!

April 5, 2011 · by Joanna Paterson · in

Of course, I have absolutely no way of backing up such an outrageous claim.

Only to tell you that delving into poetry makes me feel lighter, sillier, more playful, and yes, younger.

I wrote something about age last year that I thought it might be fun to share today (well, it’s my birthday, and I get to make the blogging rules today. Well on this blog, anyway ;-) )

It’s something I wrote when I was at Cambo last summer, prompted by a photo (we were using photos as prompts), and with the words of Jenny Joseph’s Warning coming, for some reason, into my mind.

Here’s the end result, shared on video (I seem to have got the video bug!).

Feathers In My Hair from Joanna Paterson on Vimeo.

The overstream version with subtitles is here.

If you’re reading this via email you probably won’t see the embedded option, so follow the vimeo link to view it, or just pop over to the Confident Writing blog. It would be nice to see you :-)

PS I’m not actually 44 any more, but the sentiment remains the same, and like I said, poetry is defeating the ageing process!

~~~

Here’s the words for those of you without 58 seconds to watch the video ;-)

When I am old I shall wear purple
but when I am 44 years young
I shall wear feathers in my hair
and drink tea in a square in Venice
I shall look down demurely
With my face half covered
In a mask of my words
Of poems and nonsense
I shall put on an act
I will let myself strut
I will stand on a stage
I will sing, I will dance
I will let my hair fall in curls
And write with black gloves on
I will turn people’s heads
With my tall tales and nonsense
Yes when I’m old I shall follow in the
Footsteps of that
Wise poet woman and
Yes I too shall wear purple
But when I am 44 years young
I shall wear yellow brocade
And white flowing ringlets
I will make masks with my words
And pile feathers in my hair