Aging is a natural part of life. While it comes with wisdom and memories, it also brings grey hairs, wrinkles, and some creaky joints. Humor has long been one of the best ways to cope with the passage of time. In poetry, many writers have explored the lighter side of getting older. They remind us to laugh at ourselves and cherish every stage of life.
This article presents 11 humorous poems about aging. Each poem shows how wit, irony, and a touch of honesty can make growing older feel less daunting. Some poems are short and playful; others are reflective with a sharp, comedic edge. We will also look at excerpts when the full text is too long, providing proper sources for each work.
11 Hilarious Poems That Prove Aging Is a Laughing Matter
1. “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.”
Jenny Joseph’s famous poem Warning is a celebration of living without regard for societal expectations. The speaker imagines embracing old age by acting outrageously—wearing clashing clothes, spending pensions on brandy, and learning to spit.
The humor comes from the vivid image of an old woman behaving badly. Instead of aging with grace and dignity, she plans to rebel. Joseph’s poem reminds us that growing old can be a liberation, not a prison.
Source: Jenny Joseph, Warning (first published in The Listener, 1961).
2. “Forgetfulness” by Billy Collins
“The name of the author is the first to go
followed obediently by the title, the plot,
the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel
which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of.”
Billy Collins is a master of lighthearted, ironic poetry. In Forgetfulness, he addresses memory loss with tenderness and humor. Aging is seen as a gentle slipping away of details—names, books, places—all fading into the mist.
The poem’s charm lies in its relatable truth. Everyone, young or old, knows the feeling of forgetting. Collins captures it in simple, flowing lines that make us chuckle even as we nod in recognition.
Source: Billy Collins, Forgetfulness, from Questions About Angels (1991).
3. “On Turning Sixty-Five” by Aileen Fisher
“When you’re sixty-five
It’s perfectly true
You’re apt to have
A creak or two…”
Aileen Fisher’s short and lively poem captures the physical realities of aging without a trace of gloom. She uses gentle rhymes and rhythms to talk about minor ailments, making them seem endearing rather than frightening.
Fisher’s style is playful. She reassures readers that some stiffness and groaning are simply signs of having lived fully.
Source: Aileen Fisher, On Turning Sixty-Five, in various anthologies of her work.
4. “When You Are Old” (Parody) by W.B. Yeats
This clever parody reworks W.B. Yeats’ famous poem When You Are Old. The anonymous poet offers a comedic twist:
“When you are old and grey and full of aches,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft looks
Your youth once lured to love, now lost in cakes.”
Instead of reflecting on lost love and fading beauty, this version jokes about lost waistlines and indulgent appetites. The humor is sharp but affectionate.
Source: Anonymous, popular in online collections of Yeats parodies.
5. “Age Is Opportunity” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (excerpt)
“Age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress…”
While Longfellow’s tone is more earnest than comic, this excerpt has been often cited humorously today. People laugh warmly at the idea that aging, though it changes us, also offers new chances—often less glamorous but just as important.
The humor comes from experience: knowing that opportunity at 70 looks different than at 20, but is still precious.
Source: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Morituri Salutamus (1875).
6. “I’m Growing Old” by John Godfrey Saxe
“My days pass pleasantly away;
My nights are blest with sweetest sleep;
I feel no symptoms of decay;
I have no cause to mourn or weep,
But, little troubles crowd about—
Small cares and sorrows cross my way…”
Saxe’s poem uses a light, conversational tone to discuss aging. He speaks about “small cares” and “little troubles” instead of great tragedies. His humor lies in understatement.
He shows that aging isn’t one giant fall—it’s a series of tiny, manageable slips. This way, the poem comforts and amuses readers facing their own gradual changes.
Source: John Godfrey Saxe, I’m Growing Old, 1860s.
7. “The Old Man’s Comforts and How He Gained Them” by Robert Southey (excerpt)
“‘You are old, Father William,’ the young man said,
‘And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head—
Do you think, at your age, it is right?'”
This excerpt inspired Lewis Carroll’s famous parody in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Southey’s original poem humorously praises a life lived wisely, though the image of an old man standing on his head already had comic possibilities.
Later, Carroll’s parody heightened the absurdity, making it even funnier.
Source: Robert Southey, The Old Man’s Comforts and How He Gained Them, 1799.
8. “Father William” by Lewis Carroll
“‘You are old,’ said the youth, ‘and your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak—
Pray, how did you manage to do it?'”
Lewis Carroll’s poem is a direct parody of Southey’s work. Here, “Father William” behaves outrageously, eating bones and performing acrobatic feats, despite his advanced years.
The humor is obvious and joyful. Carroll turns old age into a carnival of nonsense, celebrating stubborn vitality.
Source: Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, 1865.
9. “A Minor Bird” by Robert Frost (interpretative humor)
“I have wished a bird would fly away,
And not sing by my house all day…”
While not strictly about aging, Robert Frost’s A Minor Bird is often read humorously when linked to the grumpiness sometimes associated with getting older. His gentle complaint about an innocent bird mirrors the way people’s patience can thin with age.
The subtle humor comes from recognizing ourselves in the speaker’s unreasonable wish.
Source: Robert Frost, A Minor Bird, from New Hampshire (1923).
10. “To My Nine-Year-Old Self” by Helen Dunmore (excerpt)
“You would rather run than walk, rather climb than run
Rather leap from a height than anything.”
Helen Dunmore’s bittersweet poem is often seen as melancholic, but there is humor tucked in the contrast between youthful recklessness and adult caution.
The older self watches the child self with a mixture of envy and disbelief. It’s funny to realize how daring we once were—and how careful we have become.
Source: Helen Dunmore, To My Nine-Year-Old Self, 2007.
11. “Grow Old Along With Me” by Robert Browning (ironic view)
“Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be…”
Robert Browning’s poem is often quoted at weddings. Yet there is an ironic humor in promising that “the best” is still ahead, especially when growing old together brings aches, stubbornness, and hilariously mismatched hearing aids.
Modern readers find a gentle, ironic wit in Browning’s earnest faith.
Source: Robert Browning, Rabbi Ben Ezra, 1864.
Conclusion
Aging can feel like a loss. It can feel like a gain. It can feel simply absurd. Humor makes it easier to navigate. These 11 poems show that laughing at ourselves is one of the best gifts we gain as the years pile up.
Through wit, irony, and affection, these poets teach us that old age is not something to fear. It is something to greet with a smile—and perhaps a laugh that leaves you momentarily forgetting where you put your glasses.
As poet Jenny Joseph might suggest: when life hands you old age, wear purple, laugh loudly, and maybe buy a red hat that doesn’t match anything.
