And When I am Old I Will Wear Purple

As you all know...I'm losing my hair...yes, it's getting so thin I've actually stopped coloring my hair, thinking perhaps after years, and years, and YEARS of abusing my hair, maybe its had enough chemicals.  Maybe, if I left the natural color come back, so would my hair.  Sigh.  It is not coming back.

So, I thought maybe all the brushing I do with such a hard bristled bush might be my problem, as a result, I've stopped brushing and gone to combing my hair...I'll let you know how that works out.

Also, I've mentioned here that I'm considering buying some wigs.  Marilyn Monroe Blond, Auburn, Raven Black, Copper Penny Red, Silver grey, and Pink (for my alter ego).  I've been wig shopping with a friend and I know there are hundreds of styles out there, so I know I will find exactly what I want, length, curls, waves, etc.  I'm saving my pennies for this shopping spree, oh, it's going to be so much fun.

And, the best part is going to be, you'll never know exactly which Sandra you will see on any given day, and will always be surprised.   Maybe I'll browse the antique stores to see if I can come up with accessories to match the wigs.  Perhaps a long shiny black and silver cigarette holder on the day I wear my pink one.  And lots of 'sparklies', for when I wear the one that's Raven Black, or Hollywood sunglasses when I feel like being Marilyn Monroe.  Ohhhhh, the possibilities are endless.

However, this morning one of my favorite poems has been circling round and round my brain, and I'm going to post it here, just 'cause a cause' I can.


Warning
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 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 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. 

Taken from the book
When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple
Edited by Sandra Martz
Papier Mache Press--Watsonville, California 1987

Now, you might be wondering what all this has to do with my losing my hair.  Here's the thing.  When the day comes I actually go to buy myself my wonderful collection of wigs, I'm not going to buy a pink one...it's going to be purple...because I'm an old woman and therefore, I can.