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    Y7 English - Poetry

    Year 7 wrote poems using the first line of Jenny Joseph's poem Warning, When I grow old I shall... Their observations about ageing were amusing, moving and insightful! I have chosen a selection as there were far too many to include.

    Ms Essery

    Year 7’s poems about growing older!

    When I grow old I shall sit for hours on end
    Contemplating on all the friends I’d fallen out with
    And how I was going for a walk on the heath with the two that remained
    When I grow old I shall scold my grandchildren
    And say controversial things for attention
    And I shall go on cruise ships and gossip about other elderly couples
    I shall invite my children over for dinner, and make them chicken soup

    When I grow old I shall learn to appreciate everything I have
    Things I could not appreciate before
    I shall teach my children valuable lessons
    And watch them grow old too
    And follow in my footsteps and have children of their own.
    I shall not live to see them grow old

    When I grow old I shall remember the times when I was young,
    And could run and leap and sing, and talk about when I would be old.
    But when I grow old I shall not regret the past,
    I shall sip tea with my husband who never does any work,
    When I grow old our love will tire,
    But we will force ourselves to be happy for the sake of our children,
    And grandchildren

    When I grow old I shall be peaceful, and still
    And Cry tears of joy over memories and better times
    When I grow old I shall breathe steady, until my breathing grows old too
    By Hannah
     

    When I am an old woman I shall forget about everything.
    That way I don’t have to make an effort;
    And I shall stay in bed all day
    And only eat porridge and sugar.
    I shall Knit and Knit and Knit all day
    And say that I am making a scarf for my sister
    When really, I don’t have one.
    I shall tell my brother that I still hate him,
    And that I never did steal his pudding from the fridge.

    You can call your granddaughter your spitting image
    Of your younger self
    When really she looks nothing like you.
    And flip all of the paintings on the wall upside down
    While laughing hysterically.

    But now we must eat our dinner properly
    And do our work every day
    And remember our last names.

    But maybe I should practice a bit now?
    So that my family aren’t to surprised
    When suddenly I forget them.
    By Pauline
                    

    When I grow old I shall
    Dye my hair back to it’s natural hue
    I shall learn a new language
    And I shall continue visiting different countries
    When I grow old I will babysit my grandchildren
    And spoil them with sweets
    I will play them lullabies,
    with my little xylophone that I carry around with me
    I will lay  back on the sofa
    While my husband would be building a shed
    When I grow old I shall,
    Plant different types of fruit and veg
    When I grow old I will enjoy my life
    Since I will not  have quit swimming just yet
    By Darya                                   
     

    When I grow Older I Shall Be Wild,
    And not get hung up on my ‘oldness’.
    I will not say ‘Look at those wrinkles’
    Or ‘God I look hundreds of years old.'
    I will text my granddaughter every day,
    And ask how she is.
    I will remember every detail of what she had said the day before.
    Then I will eat my breakfast,
    Which changes everyday, like my mood.

    I won't sit around and knit, or sleep, or read the paper.
    I'll cycle, or dance, or make fresh pasta.
    I'll wear the newest trainers, with silver stripes and lilac laces.
    I'll dye my hair green for the morning and blue for the afternoon,
    And get home and eat 'whatever's in the cupboard',
    Which could go from a can of lemonade to a Sunday Roast,
    And it wont even be a Sunday!

    I won't be a Lazy Grandma and doddle everywhere,
    Or a Posh grandma, and go for 'Tea With The Girls'
    I shall be wild.
    By Romy
     

    When I am an old woman I shall make people laugh,
    I’ll ride my horse backwards and jump over a calf.
    I’ll have a tuned wheelchair and race down the roads,
    Swim with the tadpoles and jump with the toads.
    I’ll open a school with kids going crazy,
    Their favourite subject will be being lazy.
    But since that gets boring
    And when they start snoring,
    I’ll teach them about lions roaring
    And monkeys exploring.

    Then I’ll go home and reach out to friends.
    We’ll sing and dance until the day ends.
    Once I am tired I’ll go into bed,
    I’ll sleep all night
    Until it gets bright,
    For the next day to be just as funny and light.
    By Lili


    When I am an older
    I hope to be bolder
    And I may have a folder
    To reflect on my life.

    As I think of the memories of where I have time to to reflect
    Then I think ‘What the heck’
    ‘I am really getting on’
    Now it is time to have some fun!

    My dream would be to retire
    And I would like to travel all around the world
    And living the best life ever!
    By Ciara


    When I am an old woman I shall buy a cat
    In the colour of autumn leaves
    With a name to match her hidden persona

    I shall bake cookies and pies
    For me myself and I
    I might share with my cat
    If she promises to behave solemnly

    I want my days to pass
    With no exotic catastrophes
    And end in beautiful harmony.
    By Sila


    When I am an old woman I shall make friends with the hairdressers
    And read magazines as I gossip
    To the ladies either side of me with blow dryers at their head.
    I won’t have to worry about spilling toothpaste on my sweatshirts
    And I shall wear my Pyjamas to the store everyday
    Not just some days, like I do now.
    I won’t have to exercise
    I will sit in and eat chocolate.
    I could spend my pension on extravagant clothes
    That I would never wear.
    I imagine myself with glamorous, silver hair
    Painting in my garden.
    I could probably do more rebellious things but
    I probably won’t.
    By Beatrice


    When I am an old woman I shall retire
    And move out to the countryside
    Where I will watch ‘The Chase’ in the evening
    With a puzzle on my coffee table.
    I shall exercise less
    And hobble on my arthritic legs
    As I shuffle to the kitchen to feed the cats.
    And as I raise my bingo wing to flap
    And watch my cheek begin to sag
    I shall ponder the modern-day slang
    By Marnie


    When I am an old woman I shall move back to China
    Where I will spend my last days there
    I’ll think about the old days where i was free and wild
    I shall read endless books in my bedroom
    I’ll do new things I’ve never done before
    I shall no longer exercise and go to bed at whatever time I want
    And I shall spend my last days and my last breath alone
    By Duoyuan


    When I am older I shall look after my mother
    and travel endlessly around the world
    Revisiting all of my favorite countries
    I shall work hard get a job and have children
    And the rest of my life I will spend
    Checking on my children and trying to
    Keep my brain sharp so that I can
    Pretend to be the wisest to my grandchildren
    So that they will ask me for advice
    And I will spoil them and I will live
    The happiest until I die
    By Mikayla


    When I am an old woman I shall look back on all my past memories
    And watch my children grow older
    I shall sit in my garden and relax in the sun
    Whilst I wait for the sun to set
    And look after my grandchildren
    When they come to visit with many stories prepared
    I shall cherish these special moments with my family
    And be with them till my last heartbeat.
    By Chloe