I the truth at seventeen
That love was for beauty queens
And high school girls with clear skinned smiles
Who young and then retired.
The valentines I never knew
The Friday night charades of youth
Were on one more beautiful
At seventeen I learned the truth.
And those of us with ravaged faces
Lacking in the social graces
Desperately at home
Inventing lovers on the phone
Who 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 could pronounce
said, Pity please the ones who serve
They only get what they deserve.
The rich relationed hometown queen
Married into what she
A guarantee of company
And haven (=refuge) for the elderly.
Remember those win the game
Lose the love they sought to gain
In the ventures of quality
And dubious integrity.
Their small town will gape (=look) at you
in dull surprise when payment due
Exceeds accounts received
At seventeen.
To those of us know the pain
Of valentines never came,
And those names were never
When choosing sides for basketball.
It was long ago and far away
The world was than today
And dreams were all they for free
To ugly duckling girls me.
We all play the game and when we dare
To cheat ourselves at solitaire
Inventing lovers on the phone
Repenting other lives unknown
call and say, come dance with me
and murmur vague obscenities
At ugly girls like me
At seventeen.

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