At Seventeen

I learned the truth at seventeen

That love was meant for beauty queens

And high school girls with clear skin smiles

Who married young and then retired

My valentines I never knew

The Friday night charades of youth

Were spent on one more beautiful

At seventeen I learned the truth

And those of us with ravaged faces, lacking in the social graces

Desperately remained at home, inventing lovers on the phone

Who called to say come dance with me and murmured vague obscenities

It isn't all it seems at seventeen

A brown eyed girl in hand-me-downs

Whose name I never could pronounce

Said pity please, the ones who serve

They only get what they deserve

The rich relationed hometown queen

Who marries into what she needs

With a guarantee of company

And haven for the elderly

So remember those who win the game, lose the love they sought to gain

In debentures of quality and dubious integrity

And their small town eyes will gape at you in all surprise when payment's due

Exceeds accounts received at seventeen

And to those of us who knew the pain of valentines that never came

And those whose names were never called when choosing sides for basketball

It was long ago and far away, the world was younger than today

When dreams were all they gave for free to ugly duckling girls like me

We all play the game and when we dare, we cheat ourselves at solitaire

Inventing lovers on the phone, repenting other lives unknown

And that call and say come dance with me and murmur vague obscenities

At ugly girls like me at seventeen