I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
And high school girls with clear-skinned smiles
Were married young and
tired The valentines I never knew
That 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 murmur vague obscenities
It isn't love it seems At seventeen
A brown-eyed girl,
handy-downs Whose name I never could pronounce said
Pretty pleased ones who serve They only get what they deserve
And the rich relationed hometown
queen Marries into what she needs with
A guarantee of company An haven for the elderly
Remember those who win the game And lose the love that's sought again
In debentures of quality And dubious integrity
Their spot-on eyes will gape at you
And dull surprise when payment due
Exceeds accounts received At seventeen
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
And dreams were all they gave for
free To cockley-duckling girls like me
We all play the game And when we dare to cheat ourselves
And solitaire inventing lovers on the
phone Repenting other lives unknown
Who called to say Come dance with me And murmur vague obscenities
In ugly girls like me
At seventeen