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 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 vague obscenities 
It isn't all it seems at seventeen 
A brown eyed girl in hand me downs 
The rich relationed hometown queen 
Marries into what she needs 
With a guarantee of company 
And haven for the elderly 
Remember those who win the game 
Lose the love they sought to gain 
In debentures of quality and dubious integrity 
Their small town eyes will gape at you 
In 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 
When dreams were all they gave for free 
To ugly duckling girls like me 
We all play the game, and when we dare 
To cheat ourselves at solitaire 
Inventing lovers on the phone 
Repenting other lives unknown 
Who call and say - come dance with me 
And murmur vague obsceneties 
To ugly girls like me, at seventeen