Hostile Environment

February 18, 2020July 17, 2023Leave a comment

Hostile Environment by Valerie Parente

It was never about correcting actions,
it was about control.
It was never about bettering me,
it was about bullying me.
It was never about teamwork,
it was about tyranny.
It was never about reaching out,
it was about retaliating.
It was never about improvement
it was about intimidation.
It was never about positivity,
it was about your power trip.
It was never about building me up,
it was about breaking me down until I finally gave up.
And you might think that you’ve won
but the fact that I left before you could have the satisfaction of spitting in my face one last time says otherwise.

How Fucking Dare You

– Valerie Parente (2-18-2020)

Rise Above

November 29, 2019February 19, 2020Leave a comment

Rise Above by Valerie Parente

Ruler of the Sun

You beat me to the punch
Knocked me upside the head
But I got off the ground once
I can do it again.

– Valerie Parente (11-29-2019)

Resilience

November 27, 2019Leave a comment

Resilience by Valerie Parente

The signs were pretty clear
when I cried out for help
and you pretended not to hear
when I scratched myself
then wiped blood on the mirror.

Did you really want to be the one
to teach me that life isn’t fair
to teach me that nobody really cares
to teach me that the world owes me nothing
and that I will always have to fight for my fair share.

Today I’m going to vent
but tomorrow I’ll get even,
because I’m done with this abusive environment
and how you broke me in pieces.

So many pieces of me
but you’re the one who broke
you let your ugly run free
through every word that you spoke.
The sharpest pieces of me
I’ll use those shards to slit your throat
and nobody else will have to be
a punchline to your cruel jokes.

Ariel