Myrra Malmberg - 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 murmur 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
The rich relationed
home town 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
And 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
That call and say
come dance with me
And murmur vague obscenities
At ugly girls like me at seventeen