At Seventeen

by Janis Ian

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
Whose name I never could pronounce
Said "Pity please the ones who serve,
They only get what they deserve"
And the rich relationed home town queen
Marries into what she needs
With a guarantee of company and haven for the ekderly

Remember those who win the game
Lose the love they sought to gain
In debentures of quality and dubious integrity
The small town eyes would 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
And dreams were all they gave for free
To ugly duckling girls like me

We all played the game and when we dared
To cheat ourselves at solitaire
Inventing lovers on the phone
Repenting other lives unknown
They call and say "Come dance with me"
And murmur vague obscenities
At ugly girls like me
at seventeen