Saturday, October 12, 2013

Inspiration Avenue Challenge-Faces

The challenge at IA this week was all about faces. 
Deann, from Whimsy Asylum, said, "They say the face is the map of the soul but how many beautiful faces camouflage a false heart and how many of the homely bare honest scars of pain and sorrow?  I have often wondered if I had been born with a different face would I have become a different person?" That's such an interesting question.
I immediately thought of the song by Janice Ian and imspiration came to me.  Deann often uses song lyrics to add another dimension to her awesome digital collages so I decided to emulate her and print the lyrics below.  I've also added a link to the song on You Tube.

At Seventeen
I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
In 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
Married into what she needs
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.
Listen to it here.

Credits for image components:
Far Far Hill, Raspberry Road, Outside the Box Design Studios, ZaZa/Scrap and Tubes, Craft Button Designs, Miriam's Scraps, Crazy Cat Creations, Book Lady Designs, Designs by Brigit, Lilas DigiScrap, Queen Bee Scraps, and Bee Creations.
Photobucket

4 comments:

  1. The song brought back so many memories! I had all forgotten about it, but when I read the lyrics I didn't even had to listen to the song, I had Janis Ian's voice immediately in my ear. This song brought tears to my eyes so often.
    Your art work is beautiful!

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  2. I love the way the white face appears to emerge from the red background filled with faces. The quote about faces possibly making us the way we are really made me think. Blessings!

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