I learned the truth
at seventeen
That love was ment
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
whose name
I never could
pronounce
Said pity
please the 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
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 side
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
We cheat ourselves
at solitaire
Inventing lovers
on the phone
Repenting other
lives unknown
That call and say
come dance with me
And murmur vague
obscenities
At ugly girls like me
at seventeen~