Heresy by Valerie Parente
Who am I
to declare what is
and isn’t
right?
And who are you
to decide which words are
and are not
taboo?
What is
an intrusive thought
if not
an act of God?
It all means nothing
until you assign it meaning
so wield your power
like it’s the only thing to believe in.
– Valerie Parente (11-18-2023)
A Daydreamer’s Cup of Tea by Valerie Parente
I tried to be pretty
so I became pretty creepy
memorizing the potential in a mental state
as if I never wasted it in the first place
losing the life in my complexion
because the real world pales in comparison.
I want to be the best
so I became the best at madness
believing there is a foolproof way
that the make believe can be made
so close I can almost taste it
but I’ve acquired a taste for the bullshit.
I long for something real
while denying the reality here
then I turn around and ask
“Why can’t you be grateful for what you have?”
and I can’t tell if I am my irrational thoughts
or the one who recognizes their implicit flaws.
On paper, it sounds insane
in person, it’s insanely mundane
I say I like it better in my mind
even though I’m more likable here on the outside
but when I try to merge the two scenes
I realize maybe I’m not anyone’s cup of tea.
The truth is, this daydreaming
is a state of mind with no defeating
because even if I achieved the dream
I’d still find solace in further fantasy
the mental and material are forever inverse
and I am my own worst enemy in this universe.
– Valerie Parente (11-10-2023)
Not Goodbye, Just See You Later by Valerie Parente
While you’re out there
living your new life
just know that your old life
was the best part of mine.
– Valerie Parente (10-21-2023)
Huntress by Valerie Parente
Huntress of the wilderness
with forearms a green pigment
and wouldn’t you believe
this huntress plays the victim
blaming the world
then unleashing her minions
razor toothed nymphs
so ravenous, so unforgiving
as if it were them who was scorned
because they know no division
between themselves and the huntress
and how she uses them for a mission
to get back at the wildlife
that threatens her position
upon a kingdom of bones
where she makes a killing.
The most vicious predator
but she is the one imprisoned
by her insatiable ego
and a never-ending vision
to be at the top of the food chain
but the top is lonely, isn’t it?
– Valerie Parente (10-14-2023)
Succubus by Valerie Parente
Milky eyes rolled
in the back of her head
they accuse the succubus
of stealing dreams from the men.
She’s only as good
as when they want to be around her
as if her morality
is tied to their arousal.
He can touch her
but she can’t touch him
just like she can lose her value
but he can only win.
Her pleasure, her lust,
a malevolence in itself
while he’s in high heaven
she’s going straight to hell.
They call her a succubus
because she likes to be exposed
that’s why they justify
putting a knife to her throat.
But they don’t know
she’ll stroke the knife with her tongue
because she taught herself
to like the taste of blood.
WOMAN by Valerie Parente
What is it about the female body
that makes you squirm
and throw a censor
over what should be the norm?
Because we’ve been taught to hide
veil
block
deny
then they wonder why
we harbor shame inside.
There is nothing inherently wrong
with simply existing
but to exist in the physical form
we must ask for permission.
Our body has the power
to wreak havoc on earth
and they made us believe
that is a curse
but it’s actually a gift
that in doing nothing we cause a stir
it is actually a gift
to be a WOMAN in this world.
– Valerie Parente (10-4-2023)
Antithetical Thesis by Valerie Parente
I have this freedom
a freedom to express
but I am afraid
of my own success
and what it means
to let my laurels rest
because if you like what you see
then I can reap the benefits
but who wants to be a reaper
other than the lord of death?
I don’t want to kill my spark
I want the ever glowing brightness
but I’ve always been in love
with finding beauty in darkness.
It’s all so confusing
the antithetical thesis
the dissonance of my hopes
mixed with poetic justice
because I want to be free
and I want to be complex
but out there on a stage
you might see that I’m less.
I have to put myself out there
if I want to impress
but I crumble from criticism
because I’m such a pathetic narcissist.
I don’t really want the fame
I want the respect
because fame is the curse
that you get when you’re blessed.
– Valerie Parente (9-22-2023)
The Sunlight Chapel (A Fantasy Chronicle)
The sunlight chapel
was filled with treasures
that mankind cannot
begin to measure.
You will see Sol priestesses
when you enter,
and you will be greeted
by floating embers
suspended between breaths
of the chapel’s dwellers
wearing golden dresses
and crowns of amber feathers.
These priestesses will teach you
for they’re oh so clever
harnessing wisdom from light
they’re energy is tethered
to the mighty sun
no matter the weather.
The world is full of pain
and the night will always test
the darkness of the sky
like a hole inside your chest
but the Sol priestesses know
this wisdom above the rest,
At the end of the day
you can go to bed a mess
but come the morning light
your mindset must reset.
Every morning the sun rises
is a morning you are blessed.
Every morning arrises
and you are its witness;
the sunlight lives in you
and don’t you dare forget.
– Valerie Parente (9-15-2023)
she is the tree whisperer by Valerie Parente
Little baby girl
found at the bottom of a tree
nestled in the moss
along the tree’s anatomy
but she was not alone
in her perfectly sound sleep;
for the lullabies of the tree spirits
kept her warmth and company.
Found by three druids
but raised by two
they named her Sylvianna
under the wake of the moon,
offered her a home in the village
but she kindly refused
because there with the tree spirits
she felt connected to her roots.
Sylvianna grew to know the forest
like the back of her hand
from the tip of her toes
to her antennas of branch
receiving the whispers
from the lay of the land
learning about lifetimes
far beyond man.
With nails like claws
Sylvianna climbed to her kingdom
a network of treehouses
where she learned from the brilliant.
For there is a reason that trees
are known for their wisdom
because they’ve heard it all
throughout the ecosystem.
She is the tree whisperer
and she is one with the Nightingale forest
protecting the very territory
that granted her solace.
She had the option to leave
nature’s cruelty and harshness
but she whispered to herself,
“I’d much rather be haunted.”
Bitch! by Valerie Parente
She says “I’m not your bitch”
but he sure was possessive,
eager to identify her
through his own perspective.
When that woman was assertive
she got called aggressive
when she used her brain
she was oh so deceptive
when she remembered his betrayal
she was so damn obsessive.
But you don’t fool me
though I’ll admit, it’s impressive
how you’ve villainized the female
in the conscious collective.
Since the beginning of time
the men in charge were defensive
talking down to “little girls”
but we knew the real message
they didn’t want an even playing field
they wanted outright oppression.
No I’m not your bitch
but I’ve learned my lesson
go ahead and call me one
7 days out of 7
I’ll carry the weight you gave the word
when you were busy deflecting;
now who’s the stronger sex
in this pointless competition
the one calling names
or the one making the impression?
– Valerie Parente (9-4-2023)
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