At Seventeen

I learned the truth at seventeen

That love was meant for beauty queens

And high school girls with clear-skinned smiles

Who married young and then retiredThe valentines I never knew

The Friday night charades of youth

Were spent on one more beautiful

At seventeen I learned the truthAnd those of us with ravaged faces

Lacking in the social graces

Desperately remained at home

Inventing lovers on the phoneWho called to say, "Come dance with me"

And murmured vague obscenities

It isn't all it seems at seventeenA brown-eyed girl in hand-me-downs

Whose name I never could pronounce

Said, "Pity, please, the ones who serve

'Cause they only get what they deserve"And the rich relationed hometown queen

Marries into what she needs

With a guarantee of company

And haven for the elderlySo remember those who win the game

Lose the love they sought to gain

In debentures of quality and dubious integrityTheir small town eyes will gape at you

In dull surprise when payment due

Exceeds accounts received at seventeenTo those of us who knew the pain

Of valentines that never came

And those whose names were never called

When choosing sides for basketballIt 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 meWe all play the game and when we dare

To cheat ourselves at solitaire

Inventing lovers on the phone

Repenting other lives unknownThey call and say, "Come dance with me"

And murmur vague obscenities

At ugly girls like me at seventeen