Monday, April 16, 2012

Seventeen

"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"
The rich relationed hometown queen
Marries into what she needs
With a guarantee of company
And haven for the elderly...
So remember those who win the game
Lose the love they sought to gain
In debitures 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
We cheat ourselves at solitaire
Inventing lovers on the phone
Repenting other lives unknown
That call and say: "Come on, dance with me"
And murmur vague obscenities
At ugly girls like me, at seventeen...

OH HI LOOK I'M SEVENTEEN THAT'S ME. Hi guys. First birthday post EVER.  Pretty exciting life altering stuff if you ask me.  Anywhooz, I would like to present to you my almost finished dress (for the school fashion show).  Be mindful that the sleeve that is not in existence on the right is not intentionally missing.  I still have to sew that one (note the 'almost finished'). In other news, it feels pretty awesome being 17.  Haha actually it feels exactly the same as 16, 15, 14 and 13.  Wait, no, according to my bat mitzvah I became a woman at 13 so I should have felt something then, eh? 
Okidokes, I'm going to go enjoy my first night out as a seventeen year old!  WOOTZ.  Catch you guys on the flippity flip side! (oh...so that's why I don't have a boyfriend...)



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2 comments:

  1. Maria ElyseApril 17, 2012 at 10:48 AM

    OHMYWORD I FREAKING LOVE THIS SONG BUT NO ONE I KNOW KNOWS IT EXCEPT MY MOM BECAUSE I'M WEIRD AND LISTEN TO 70'S MUSIC MORE THAN MODERN MUSIC. Anyyyyway, that song is one of my favorites. :)

    Oooo, I love the dress! Can't wait to see it when it's done! :D

    I turn 16 this year and I remember being like, 3 years old and thinking how I couldn't wait until I turned 16 and blah blah blah. But now that I'm almost there I'm pretty sure it's not going to be/feel any different...oh, well. That's life!

    How are you, girl? We haven't talked in foreverz!

    xo
    Maria Elyse

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  2. emilyApril 17, 2012 at 4:48 PM

    SAME HERE! My friend josie actually sent this to me for my birthday and I had to post it because well I'll only be 17 once (slash for another 364 days)

    And thanks girl my fashion teacher is crazy on my case about finishing my line but there's SO MUCH TO DO haha

    For me 15 was pretty much the only year that I was actually like, hey I'm officially a teen now. I can be as angsty as I want. But really being sixteen is what it's all about

    IM SO STRESSED haha but by June (AP Tests/ next SAT) I should be all sorted out in the head. And I know I so want to blog more! How have you been gfrand? Tell me your life story! (haha just kidding ...but seriously) ;D

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