Tag: art

The Creator’s Paradox

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The Creator’s Paradox by Valerie Parente

What am I
if not God’s art?
God creates perfection
but you say that I’m wrong
and in the same virtuous breath
that I was made in His image all along.
How can the thing that created everything
be a pillar of perfection but create a world of flaws?

Every abomination
was someone’s creation
can we say the creator is sick
but not their rules and their laws
either I am a masterpiece, so idealistic
or I was a mistake never meant to spawn
but the one thing I know for sure is that I exist
so it would be insanity to say that there is no God.

The creator must be an artist
because our existence is a paradox
the goal of art is not to appear perfect
the goal is to express a breath and a thought.

– Valerie Parente (11-11-2025)

The Damsel & The Demon OUT NOW

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The Damsel & The Demon by Valerie Parente

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The Damsel & The Demon is a poetry/fantasy story hybrid (verse novel) meant to be an allegory for the healing process, whether that be healing from addiction, a toxic relationship, a traumatic event, or anything in between. Valerie drew inspiration from her personal struggle with obsessive compulsive disorder and anorexia to create this Allegory for Healing through the lens of the main character, Daphne. For both Daphne and Valerie, fleeting feelings can only exist as fixations, and the rhythmic stanzas of an internal dialogue, playing like poetry, is the conduit between the mentally disordered author and the hexed protagonist of this story. There is so much beauty in healing, but healing is still ever so messy, uncovering darkness where we expected light and vice versa. Determined to create this massive poem with no help from search engines or AI, Valerie made it her mission to come up with every rhyme on her own; turning to the internet for help was forbidden. As a result, The Damsel & The Demon is an authentic fantastical dark fairytale scripture rich with revelations and an aim to help readers everywhere see themselves in the damsel archetype as well as the ailment they struggle to separate from in the demon.

Valerie Parente is a writer and artist from Massachusetts whose bodies of work often explore the theme, “Finding beauty in darkness” and general mental health awareness.

Meraki

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Meraki by Valerie Parente

I’m okay
spilling my guts
into everything
that I touch.

I don’t mind
crying blood
because it shows me
what I’m made of.

I’m content
throwing up
all the words
that I love.

I’m at peace
putting a piece of me
into everything that I do
so that when this body decays
a little piece of me lives on with you.

We All Have Scars

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We All Have Scars by Valerie Parente

No one makes it out of this life
unscathed
you’re going to get scars
anyways
you might as well make them
into pretty shapes
because art is just the scars
we manipulate.

– Valerie Parente (7-10-2025)

Little Nightling That Dwells

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Little Nightling That Dwells
by Valerie Parente

I know you
like the back of my hand
dwelling in the dark
like roots under land.

Creature of the night
you are so in love
because the darkness was with you
when no one else was.

I know you
little nightling that dwells
on the pain and trauma
you know oh so well.

You love the dark
but does the dark love you?
When branches grow from roots
you become living proof.

Pain without art
is like a seed in the dark
but pain with a purpose
grows above the earth’s surface
reaching for the sun
when it’s all said and done.
You are more than your roots
you are what thrives above too.

– Valerie Parente (7-9-2025)

Everything Becomes Art

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Everything Becomes Art by Valerie Parente

Everything she touches
turns to art.
Every challenge
a writing prompt.
Every dream
a metaphor.
Every breath
a lesson learned.

– Valerie Parente (6-14-2025)

Rhyme & Reason

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Rhyme & Reason by Valerie Parente

I give the world meaning
applying rhyme and reason
because I can’t bring myself to believe in
thoughts without feelings.

For it all to be worth it
I write it down in verses
externalizing the imperfect
into patterns on the surface.

When I break down the rhythm
like flashing colors in a prism
the nonsensical drivel
starts to sound like wisdom.

I give the world depth
making beauty from the mess.
What is creation if not a breath?
To wipe away the fear of death.

– Valerie Parente (6–12-2025)

A Mouthful of Crystals

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A Mouthful of Crystals by Valerie Parente

Years ago I drew a picture of a girl
with crystals in her mouth
and I couldn’t remember
if they were going in or coming out.

I realized the answer depends
on how I feel now
empty and unfulfilled, begging to fill a hole inside
or full of emotion, like I need to express what’s on my mind.

Funny how the big picture
morphs to mimic your perspective;
the world is only as set in stone
as a crystal is reflective.

– Valerie Parente (6-7-2025)

Incarnate

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Incarnate by Valerie Parente

If the soul is something invisible
then why do certain songs make my soul feel seen?
And if my consciousness is divisible
then why do centuries of stories have the same theme?
If I didn’t choose this body
then why do I pick my own brain?
If I didn’t choose this journey
then why did I incarnate?
If true essence is impossible to capture
then why can art mirror my mind?
If there is no such thing as life after
then why does lost love linger behind?

I don’t think anyone really knows
what we’re doing here
but if there was ever a clue
it wouldn’t be in what makes sense, but how we feel.

– Valerie Parente (4-6-2025)