By the time I turned seventeen,
the Truth was immutable
& irrefutable ~
I'd already been on my own
for over a year.
There were no dances to attend,
no pretty prom dresses to buy ~
(not likely I would have anyway).
I'd moved out & moved on
to save my sanity & solitude ~
I already knew
I was a Poet
lost
in a World of people
that didn't understand
or even care to try.
I built a bookshelf from salvaged wood & bricks,
filled it quickly,
dripped colored candlewax
over the sides of pretty wine bottles
(after I'd helped to empty them),
hung tapestries & posters wall~to~wall
& smoked too much
while I wrote down my every thought
in a tattered journal (now long gone).
I turned up the music & swayed
by myself,
finding contentment in simplicity.
I made new friends ~
people who didn't judge
or start fights over nothing ~
people who were different,
intelligent & kind.
I wasn't always alone.
I was considered
the most popular
recluse
on the block.
We sang & baked brownies,
french~kissed college boys,
wept at injustice,
& helped each other discover
the meaning of Life
while trapped in the ravages of survival.
Thirty years later,
I'm still here ~
I must have done something right
when I left home to find
my Self
all those years ago.
Sing it, Janis.
~ June 30, 2006
10:30 p.m.
Author notes
Art Credit: "Shades of Falling" by Antoine De Villiers
Picture courtesy of Utok Bulinaw
Inspired by the song, "At Seventeen" by Janis Ian
(I was pretty inspired by JOPLIN, too) LOL.
Written June 30th, 2006
In a list
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- Older Poems (under construction) • next in list
- Inspired by...Various (under construction) • next in list
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What did you think
Comments
1 - 49 of 49
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I've re-read this several times in the last couple of minutes. This made me all nostalgic of the good and bad of 2001 especially the summer after just having my birthday.
Wanda, if you don't mind me calling you that, thank you for giving me the link to this poem.
-Aly
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No, Aly...I don't mind; it is my name, after all. 
Although Madame Librarian calls me "Wander Lea" & actually gets away with it. 
I was a librarian for over 12 years & live in OKC, so Karen & I get along famously. 
This isn't one of my best poems, but it is a true story. Yeahhh...nostalgia...it seems I live on Memory Lane sometimes. Thanks for comin' by. Be well, Poet. Wanda
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Wanda in the Raw ;)
I figured that title would catch your eye.
Really though, it's quite apropo.
Seriously Wanda, your Poetry is so alive with your life experiences,
and your talent for making your joys, your sorrows, your feelings... our own!
What can I say that hasn't already been said...
I just finished reading the comments for this poem, and your obliging replys... WOW!!!
How do you stay so stable...
I'd be strutting my stuff, with chest all a puff!
Anyways, "The Poet at Seventeen" brought me back (with a smile) to the 60's
We were gonna save the world with music and love... AAAh, we did have high hopes then. You still do!!
By the way, I saw Janis 'LIVE" twice!
She had your magic touch... the ability to share her woes & glows! So damn soulful... woohoo!
Anyways...
As for 'The Poet 30 Years Later'
the Truth is still IMMUTABLE & IRREFUTABLE ~
In your own words:
"I must have done something right
when I left home to find my Self
all those years ago.
Sing it, Janis."
I say "Sing it, Wanda" Your adoring public
eagerly awaits your next concert!
One of your biggest fans ~ Nicholas ~
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I like this a lot
genuine, uassuming, sincere and very interesting; how does one become a poet, how does one become a great poet, like you... PK
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Wanda, where does your imagination end? At the end of the rainbow? You can put a spin on darkness and make it bleed light like no one I've ever seen. Your poetry is bigger than the two of us.
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Thank you for your gracious words, crazirazberri. I'm pleased you enjoyed it. Be well, Poet. Wanda
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Thank you for hosting & for your gracious words, Tang. I'm pleased you enjoyed it. I appreciate your kindness & your time. Be well, Poet. Wanda
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you tell this simply and honestly, and each line is so precise and perceptive and resonates deeply. gentle but powerful, building on itself.
"people who didn't judge
or start fights over nothing ~
people who were different,
intelligent & kind.
I wasn't always alone."
and the details are vivid and amazing.
"I built a bookshelf from salvaged wood & bricks,
filled it quickly,"
"We sang & baked brownies,
french~kissed college boys,
wept at injustice,"
i think you have captured this experience authentically and portrayed the unpolished beauty of the "ravages of survival."
wow.
Edited on Sep 03, 5:24 p.m. because ''. -
Dear Night Hope,
I'm so glad you entered this poem! A wonderful choice and I thoroughly enjoyed this work!
I wish you Good Luck in my contest!
Tang -
Ohhh, please don't let me dampen your enthusiasm, Poet...
It wasn't that bad...I actually kinda enjoyed myself...
Thanks for hosting & for your kind words, Gallant Talent...I'm glad you enjoyed it...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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Wow, this makes me not so excited to turn 17 now, though I know our lives are totally different. Again, you brought memories into your poem, and it's very well done.
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Thank you for hosting another inspiring & unique contest, my Friend. I'm pleased you enjoyed the view from here. I appreciate your time & thoughtful words. I can "do" self~pity when need be...after all, we're the only ones that knows where it really hurts, right??? Still, I never saw much point in it...I didn't have the time...I've done it all by myself pretty much my entire life..."No choice" was a great motivator...It's been an interesting life, to be sure...& I think I've gained a lil' Wisdom or, at least, a lil' insight along the way...Thank you for your kindness & compassionate response to this penning of mine...I actually kinda enjoyed writin' this one...Go figure... Catharsis can be a good thing sometimes...'sides that, Rob (Pinhead) sure seemed to like it... Be well, Poet.
Wanda
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Wanda, you must be very brave to share this kind of experience here. To narrate one's story without feeling "sorry" for oneself is rare. It will only take someone who has grown into reality with faith in oneself to be able to express it poignantly but never overdramatically. A very positive ending there that strucks a nerve in me. Thank you for entering and good luck! Utok Bulinaw
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Yeahhh, I tried shrinking it & stretching it to see which was best, too... Thanks, Ben~Jammin...
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I think you were learning to be comfortable in your own skin.
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Wow, indeed...Thank you for reading, for your kind comments & especially for the applause, then, IrishYndina...I'm pleased you enjoyed it so much...Yeahhh, it's been an interestin' life...so far... Be well, Poet... Wanda
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Wow. This deserves an applause, and if you knew me at all, you would know that those get handed out about as often as it snows in July. I really liked the images, the phrasing, even the form (page aesthetics are sometimes underrated, in my opinion, but yours are wonderful). It seems to me that you both show us a moment in time, describing what this monumental turning point was like, and show us an entire spectrum of change you underwent during this point in your life. That's hard to do, both single moment and moving time. And the details were superb. Wax on wine bottles, brownies, everything. I don't even have any suggestions for you - I'm not sure I could offer anything to make this any better. Congratulations on writing an excellent piece of poetry.
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Thank you, you dear, sweet Man...You are such a generous Soul, Dear Heart...Ummm...Your wilding, Rob??? Now that sounds a lil' intriguing, my Friend... Sweetness, I prefer any ol' thing ya wanna call me, as long as it's endearing......& often... Ya know I love ya, Scribe...
♥ Sweet Pea\
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I knew you, me, us , we, in those days. I'm afraid my wilding was more extreme and with more scars. This is a very good look at the freative folk of the time and the places we called home as well. The emphasis on the positive when the opposite is available points out the aptness of your pen name, although I still prefer the private one I gave you.lol. I'm sending you some points for the best ending I read in ages.
Peace -
Nooooooooooooooooo!!! Donnnnnnn't do it!!! Any of it!!! hehehe Heyyy, I don't want it said that I contributed to the delinquency of a minor or anything... Ahhh, it was a hard life, but a good one...but let me tell ya something, Arielle; I wish I wouldn't have grown up so fast & so hard...You only have 18 years to be young...you have the rest of your life to be an adult...& it's harder & a lot more responsibility than I can tell ya...Enjoy your youth while you're young, Lady...You've got plenty of time...Love your Life, nurture it, & above all, appreciate it...It's far too brief as it is...I'm glad you enjoyed the poem...But don't try to "follow in my footsteps", Poet...my feets is too big... Be well, Poet... Wanda
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I love your poem. Excellent ending. I'm only seventeen right now, and some of these things don't sound too bad to try.
Arielle -
Thank you for reading & for your time, wordsmistress21. I'm pleased you enjoyed it. Thank you for your kind comment. Be well, Poet. Wanda
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Thank you for reading & for your time, yahokay389. I'm pleased you enjoyed it. Thank you for your gracious comment. I don't think the picture is sad as much as it is introspective, quietly pensive...Be well, Poet. Wanda
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Thank you for your lovely, caring words, Eddy...I'm glad ya liked it, my Friend... Wanda
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u seemed to have garnered plenty of applauses already , much deserved indeed. you have just created a small piece of your life in this poem. a task that's not accomplished by many. great work
Edited on Jul 02, 10:09 p.m. because ''. -
I absolutely loved this poem. I can see the room with it's wine and bottles and bookshelf. It was like I was there. I'm curious about the picture though. It doesn't seem to fit the tone of the poem. The picture seems dark and sad, where the poet seems honest and in spite of hardship, content. Oh and just so you know (i know it doesn't matter) my favorite lines were: Well, basically all of stanza 7
. Thanks for sharing with us!
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"finding contentment in simplicity."
Right there is the secret of life isn't it.
I walked through the big mall here the other day.
Items were screaming out at me...buy me...YOU NEED ME...
but I just smiled a contected smile and walked right on by,
not buying a single item at all.
The day people finally realize that "wants" are not needs
is a day of breaking bondage. How many people spend 3o grand
on a car that is totally worthless in 7 years. Just image if
they bought used and put that extra 20plus grand in an IRA.
They could have an extra $66grand for retirement instead of
a worthless scrap of metal out on the parking slab. There
IS a reason they call them "slabs" you know...lol
Hugs...Eddy
Too bad about the loss of journal...that still bothers me
that you lost all your works like that, but then I have
to wonder what will really remain of any of us in a few
hundred years or less.
I had forgotten about wax dripped bottles, but I DO remember
the WINE...hehe
We can still arrive at a good place with a few bad choices
along the way, as long as it's not anything major (life ending)
The main thing is to learn from our mistakes so you grow for the only constant is change...
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hehehe
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Remarkably familiar!! How close Your experience is to mine. Except for writing things down, didn't do much of that. (Oh, and french kissing college guys... didn't do ANY of that!)
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Thank you for reading & for your kind comments, Rainbow Eater...I'm pleased you enjoyed it...You should always be yourself; no one else can be...we are all quite unique...I usually say that "no one else applied for the job; too labor~intensive" Be well, Poet... Wanda
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I'm 17 right now, and thankyou for this poem. It helps me realize that I can be happy doing what I love and being myself.
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Thank you for reading & for your kind comments, Willster I'm pleased you enjoyed it, my Friend...By the way, one of my Friends also said I was "the best~dressed recluse he knew"... Be well, Poet... Wanda
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U RAWK !!
U never cease to amaze me wandster...
I HEARD the song "At Seventeen" when I read this...
You dig from a place of vulnerability few can come close to.
Im so impressed that you have this gift of taking black and white and colloring it like the rainbow..
LoL@ wasn't always alone.
I was considered
the most popular
recluse
on the block...
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I'm glad you're here, too, Rich...Thank you for your lovely words, Scribe...I appreciate you very much, my Friend... Wanda
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Thank you for reading & for your kind words, Salsa...I'm pleased you enjoyed it...As Shakespeare said, "To thine ownself be true"...I sure tried...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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Oh Wanda this is so much you and I am so glad you are here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We write and write
till the ache subsides
and sleep in half baked dream
so when we sit and star alone
our words a stairways
assending the plane to savor. -
Ah teenage years, full of questions about identity and such...
You can definitely relate to a lot of girls out there.
I'm glad you stayed true to yourself after all these years. The beauty in it shows. -
Sighhh...Ahhh, Nic...you always leave the coolest comments, my Sister...Thank you for your beautiful words...better still, thank you for Being, my Friend...Love you, Woman... Vlindertjie
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Yes, my friend, you must have done something very right, because look where you are now....a poet, a scribe (as you always say) par excellence who writes words that breathe - you fill your pen with the whispers and the breathings of your heart. I remember Janis Ian so well - she was one of my favourite singers...the melancholy that oozed through her words. You have made this song your own...your story of "seventeen" touched my heart and I can so identify with the "deep water girl" among her books, her papers, her pens and her poems. My own story was a little different, but somehow I think I was always moving towards the deeper things...just like you. Wonderful poetry - the story of a life; of a home-coming to the Self
~ Nicolette
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Thank you. Glad ya liked it, Poet.
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Janis turns me on, she's a hungry one. This poem shows a lot of heart, well done.
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Yeahhh, me, too... Thank you for reading & for your kind comments, CokebottleEyes...I'm pleased you enjoyed it...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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this poem gave me chills and brought back some memories
i really enjoyed this especially these lines...
'I was considered
the most popular
recluse
on the block.'
i remember this song too...oh sigh
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Thank you, SilentHuntress; Cherokee quoted part of the song in her comment...The entire song is on the contest page...It was quite famous, a very popular song. I love Joplin, especially her medley of "High~heeled sneakers & Amazing Grace" Thanks for comin' by...Be well, Poet... Wanda
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when i read this my thought was of Janis Joplin, i'm not familiar with Ian, but for the other inspiration, it is very fitting. beautiful poem, i love the feeling of freedom i felt reading this.
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You're just full of questions, ain'tcha??? {Ahem}...Need I say more??? Hey, c'mon...it was 1975... By the way...my mother was a professional cook...my brownies are awesome...even without extra ingredients...
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I immediately thought of that song as I was reading this. She was an awesome poet and I was just thinking yesterday "I wish I had been the one to write that". By the way, what were you smoking and what was in those brownies?
"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 ones more beautiful
at seventeen I learned the truth
...inventing lovers on the phone
who call to say come dance with me"
What a great song.
What a beautiful poem...
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