A Tale of Two Pities

From the Lifesmith Group album, "Drivel."

Hayley walked around at two hundred pounds and more
Large mole on her left cheek, a thing you couldn’t ignore
Homely to a fault though brilliant beyond most
She carried herself in quiet, a sullenly private ghost.

Karina was the pretty one who always got the guys
With a shuffle in her shape, she didn’t care for wise
Dumber than a post with a cute twinkle in her eye
Probably make a life on her back, a smile and apple pie.

Hayley lived for A’s in college though no one really cared
No one paid her much attention, her parents’ indifference bared
She watched her weight carefully, yet cursed with a big-boned frame
So much of society’s lauding was based on shallowness’ fame.

Karina partied on amidst a minimum wage career
Nothing seemed to bother her cause men found her so dear
Never having a deep thought, always a giggle and a shake
It never really dawned on her men’s affections were so fake.

As time went on the girls both grew into womanhood it’s true
Hayley suppressed her indignance for always feeling blue
While Karina’s beauty faded away, a haggard shell and used
And character discovered at 35, appearance became a ruse.

Hayley never married, no man loved her mind enough
Her loneliness often tore at her, being alone got really tough
And Karina found a local loser, who smoked and drank all day
They barely got by and had some kids as trashy as their way.

Hayley became a private home nurse, a cloistered helpful friend
To those who couldn’t criticize, nothing to defend
Karina watched her body fail, from the partying all of the time
At 52 in a hospital, clinging to memories from her prime.

Hayley made some friends over time, she’s not easy to be known
And she learned to treasure them, a miserable life atoned
While Karina dreamed of teenage years, passed away alone in her bed
Her life was a totally meaningless one, a life she barely led.