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5.9k · Oct 2012
"AT SEVENTEEN"
Dry Saphhire Gin Oct 2012
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...
Dry Saphhire Gin Nov 2012
Me gustas cuando callas porque estas como ausente,
y me oyes desde lejos, y mi voz no te toca.
Parece que los ojos se te hubieran volado
y parece que un beso te cerrara la boca.

Como todas las cosas estan llenas de mi alma
emerges de las cosas, llena del alma mia.
Mariposa de sueno, te pareces a mi alma,
y te pareces a la palabra melancolia.

Me gustas cuando callas y estas como distante.
Y estas como quejandote, mariposa en arrullo.
Y me oyes desde lejos, y mi voz no te alcanza:
dejame que me calle con el silencio tuyo.

Dejame que te hable tambien con tu silencio
claro como una lampara, simple como un anillo.
Eres como la noche, callada y constelada.
Tu silencio es de estrella, tan lejano y sencillo.

Me gustas cuando callas porque estas como ausente.
Distante y dolorosa como si hubieras muerto.
Una palabra entonces, una sonrisa bastan.
Y estoy alegre, alegre de que no sea cierto.


I like you when you are quiet because it is as though you are absent,
and you hear me from far away, and my voice does not touch you.
It looks as though your eyes had flown away
and it looks as if a kiss had sealed your mouth.

Like all things are full of my soul
You emerge from the things, full of my soul.
Dream butterfly, you look like my soul,
and you look like a melancoly word.

I like you when you are quiet and it is as though you are distant.
It is as though you are complaining, butterfly in lullaby.
And you hear me from far away, and my voice does not reach you:
let me fall quiet with your own silence.

Let me also speak to you with your silence
Clear like a lamp, simple like a ring.
You are like the night, quiet and constellated.
Your silence is of a star, so far away and solitary.

I like you when you are quiet because it is as though you are absent.
Distant and painful as if you had died.
A word then, a smile is enough.
And I am happy, happy that it is not true.
983 · Oct 2012
Ode to Chester
Dry Saphhire Gin Oct 2012
I understand it’s always nice to hold someones hand and a kiss every now and then its what keeps someone alive.
But what you don’t understand is that I’d always hold your hand.
And kiss you every morning, noon, and night.
I look at you and you look at me and I’d say I’d love you if you’d say you’d love me.
But you won’t because you just can’t believe that someone could like you the way I do.
But your amazing, more amazing than me or anyone I’ll ever see.
Your hand is softer then any before.
Your eyes though smoke stained burn bright and clear.
Your complexion perfect everywhere I look.
And your breath always warm as breath always should.
If you’d open your eyes a little wider and look you’d see me standing there without the heart you already took.
926 · Dec 2012
Sorry It's Been Awhile
Dry Saphhire Gin Dec 2012
When I haven't written anything down in awhile, it all wells up in my head.
And I sit in bed and think of things and wish some of them could be said.
But they can't. Cause who would listen to some silly girl of 16.
Some silly girl that dreams in her head of princesses becoming queen.
868 · Oct 2013
Questions
Dry Saphhire Gin Oct 2013
It's funny we're Juice Drinkers, we're Environmentalists, we're Children of the 90's and the Future, and we Gin June. Yet we're still just as unhealthy, our plant's dying, we have no style, and we die just as soon.
737 · Nov 2012
Dream Dancing
Dry Saphhire Gin Nov 2012
Swaying and moving and swaying some more.
I moved my way across the dance floor.
This must be heaven I thought to myself, for no one is judging
it's like I'm all by myself.
So I jump and I sway no matter which way
and everyone claps and smiles as I dance away the day.
But even when dancing forevers to long.
So I sit down and rest and hum a soft song.
The surrounders join in and sing with me too
about sunshine and summer time and not being blue.
But even though meant well and even though sweet
this nice little sentiment still felt so bleak.
So I screamed and ran trying to be free
but I couldn't get out so i climbed up a tree.
I feel from the tree onto my hard wood floor
realizing it was a dream and I could dance some more.
712 · Feb 2013
It doesn't
Dry Saphhire Gin Feb 2013
The future always seems better than the present.
I'm living for tomorrow
But than tomorrow comes and disappoints
Nothing goes as expected.
I smile for 5 minutes when I wake up
Because it's supposed to make you happy all day
It doesn't
661 · May 2013
Untitled
Dry Saphhire Gin May 2013
I became dependent on it and cut over just about everything and everyone. I began to substitue cutting for smoking. I smoked over everything and everyone. I used it to escape my problems and just sleep instead.
581 · Feb 2013
American Dreaming
Dry Saphhire Gin Feb 2013
Caught in a trance we're losing our meaning
Like Shh, keep it down I'm American Dreamin'

— The End —