The Retirement
by Henry Vaughan

Fresh fields and woods! the Earth’s fair face,

God’s foot-stool, and man’s dwelling-place.

I ask not why the first Believer

Did love to be a country liver?

Who to secure pious content

Did pitch by groves and wells his tent;

Where he might view the boundless sky,

And all those glorious lights on high;

With flying meteors, mists and show’rs,

Subjected hills, trees, meads and flow’rs ^[1]

This poem offers a serene reflection on retirement, portraying it not as an end but as a harmonious return to nature’s tranquility. It exalts the Earth as both a divine creation and a human sanctuary, suggesting that the natural world provides a sacred space for reflection and contentment in life’s later stages. Ultimately, the poem is a meditation on finding solace in nature’s embrace during retirement, highlighting the restorative power of the natural world and its capacity to inspire reflection, joy, and a profound sense of belonging.

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 ^[1]

This poem celebrates the liberation and defiance of societal norms that the speaker anticipates with aging. Through vivid imagery, the speaker declares an intent to embrace eccentricity and indulge whimsically in life’s small pleasures, symbolized by wearing purple with a mismatched red hat. The whimsical spending of a pension on non-essentials like brandy, summer gloves, and satin sandals serves as a metaphor for prioritizing joy and personal satisfaction over societal expectations. The acts of sitting on pavements, gobbling up samples, and causing mild public disturbances represent a reclaiming of freedom and spontaneity often restrained in youth. The poem is a powerful ode to living authentically and unapologetically, challenging conventional notions of aging with humor and grace.

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