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 retired
The 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 fake obscenities It isn't wrong,
it seems,
at seventeen
A brown-eyed girl in hand-downs Whose name I never could pronounce
Said,
pity please the ones who serve They only get what they deserve
At the rich relation hometown couis Marie sent you what she needs
With a guarantee of company And haven for the elderly
Remember those who win the game Lose their love,
it's all to gain
Your debt ensures equality And dubious integrity
Your small-town eyes will gape at you
And dull surprise
when payment due
Once we're steamed at seventeen
To those of us who knew the pain
Of Valentines that never came And dreams were all they gave for free
To ugly duckling girls
like me We all play the game
And when we did cheat ourselves at solitaire Inventing
lovers on the phone
Repenting other lives unknown Who called to say,
come dance with me
And murmured fake obscenities
At ugly girls like me
at seventeen