The poem
"When I'm An Old Lady" by Joanne Bailey Baxter is a poem meant to convey to the
reader, in a humorous way, the trials and tribulations of being a parent. Joanne Bailey Baxter
has written a six-stanza poem of four lines per stanza. Sandwiched in between each stanza is a
one-line refrain orto drive home the point that this woman looks forward to living with her kids
when shes aged so she can engage in some payback in a way.
She is not
vindictive at all; she just wants her adult children to realize that raising them was not a
piece of cake, and now they can experience what she went through as they take care of
her.
The poem employs rhyme in each stanza. In addition, the tone of the poem
is delightfully mischievous as this woman plans ways shell get back at her kids. She says
I'll not eat my green beans or salads congealed. I'll gag on my okra, spill milk on the
table€¦ Her goal is to do all the annoying things to her kids that her children did to her when
they were young.
She actually sees the fun in all of this and knows that her
children will ultimately see the humor in this as well. In reality, this woman will probably not
do all these things, but she may do some of them, in jest, to make her point. Its obvious that
shes a lively, vibrant person and is embracing forthcoming old age with exuberance and a unique
sense of purpose.
Whats funny in this poem, written in clear, everyday,
straightforward language, is that her children will probably trumpet the refrain that this woman
no doubt did so many times at the end of each tiring daythey will ultimately say:
"She's so sweet when she's sleeping!"
In other words,
their respite at the end of the day will come when this aged woman is sleeping peacefully,
building energy for the next adventurous day to come, when she can once again, with
tongue-in-cheek, engage in some payback!
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