Survivor
by Valerie Parente

I am not a victim
I am a survivor.

I am not that broken little girl
I am the one who revived her.

I am not my circumstance
I am the good it inspired.

I am not worse for it all
I am the wiser.

I don’t remember the pain you gave me
I remember the power I acquired
because when the darkness came for me
I lit up like a fire.

– Valerie Parente (8-9-2026)