Emotional Depth by Valerie Parente
On the nights I can’t express myself
It’s because I feel underwhelmed.
The world of feelings is my fuel
and I’ll be damned if I don’t bruise.
If there is no emotional depth
then I am nothing but useless.
– Valerie Parente (11-24-2019)
Enough by Valerie Parente
Don’t tell me you miss the old me
when the old me wasn’t good enough for you.
– Valerie Parente (11-12-2019)
Sweet Poison by Valerie Parente
I’ve been chasing that feeling
it’s like being in love without the demons.
Dizzy. Giggling. Carefree. Confident. Lightheaded. Intoxicated.
Under a blissful spell
without needing someone else.
– Valerie Parente (10-29-2019)
This Is What It Means To Grow Up by Valerie Parente
I shouldn’t pick fights just because I feel lost
I shouldn’t place blame when no one is at fault
People might do you wrong but just smile on
No one cares who’s right in the big scheme of it all.
You may be frustrated but the petty things won’t last
At the same rate good times fade and I really hate that
What better reason to appreciate the things that you have
Because no pain equates to the concept of the past.
I always say I’m so sick of the games and the tears
But I’d rather have it rough than resent all those years
Because one of these days one of us isn’t going to be here
And all that will be left is how we made each other feel.
– Valerie Parente (10-27-2019)
Immaculate Introvert by Valerie Parente
I hate parties.
I always feel so out of place
like I don’t belong to the human race
because I can’t relate
to how other people operate
all the alcohol and games.
It’s not a problem with who I am,
it’s a problem with who I’m not
because that’s not what I want
when I think of the perfect job
I’d rather lose myself in thoughts
writing and drawings from my heart.
Creation feels better than partying,
creation is what I live to be
an artist on an emotional journey
making sense of the world consciously
that’s how I set my soul free
and be the best version of me.
– Valerie Parente (8-18-2019)
My Hope by Valerie Parente
I know that I’m going to have obsessions
all I ask is that my obsessions not be in vain
that I’m able to convey these motifs in my brain
in ways that resonate with the people who don’t know what to say.
– Valerie Parente (6-28-2019)
Internal Monologue by Valerie Parente
I am made of stardust and everything I believe in is written in constellations.
My entire world is comprised of traveling light that glows up the night.
And I am in awe of how the cosmos mirror my make-up.
I can hear the stars as voices in my head, an internal monologue that never ends.
Feel me breathe
and see me think
I am the language
the starlight speaks.
“Star Whisperer” by Valerie Parente
– Valerie Parente (6-16-2019)
The Artist, The Muse: A Poetry & Prose Collection by Valerie Parente OUT NOW
Buy THE ARTIST, THE MUSE Via Amazon
The Artist, The Muse is what you get when you interweave psychology, creativity, and spirituality into the poetic fabric of a mentally disordered daydreamer’s mind. Valerie Parente artfully hones the craft of written word in this collection of poetry and prose through fantastical metaphors, rhythmic patterns, heartfelt emotions, metaphysical references, and breath-taking epiphanies. Dark daydreams and silver-lining mantras blossom out of the obsessive compulsive writer’s verbal landscape as the artist becomes her own muse.
Includes poetry, prose, and artwork by Valerie Parente.
Table of Contents:
The Artist, The Muse
Conscience of Nonsense
Glitter In The Air
Shy of Me
The Gargoyle Mindset
An Inadequate Reflection
Ink
You’ve Made An Author Out Of Me
Essence
Grandiosity of the Sick
Daydreams Are Shadows
Sanctuary
Hindsight of the Falsehood
Echoes
Idu Ego
The Silver Screen
Realize These Butterflies
The Writer
Natural
The Instinct of Intuition
The Masterpiece Tragedy of Marionette
Egomaniac
Inquiries
Playing with Dolls
Imagination Is Not Free
Validation
I Wish You Well
Bleeding
Paradox Lock
Dreams of Floating
Give & Take
Her Bright Pink Shoes
Why I Apologize
My Heart Thaws
Mars
Sage of Tarkus
Normal
The Creeper
Young Sapling
Scarecrow
she could not master astral projection
Touch the Heart
Creator
To Be Human
Lady Luna and the Light Inside
Tiara
The Answer
Order In Disorder
Trust the Stars
Novelty
Message From The Universe
Sage of Tarkus by Valerie Parente
The heartaches of war that plagued the land of Segaduses left many civilians absent of faith. Lost. Looking for a reason to live again.
Determined to receive some sort of direction from a beacon of wisdom, a damsel from Segaduses traveled thirty miles by knight and steed to arrive at a cabin deep in the woods of Tarkus, home of the most acclaimed sage in all of the land. She had been on a journey for the past three years, searching for an answer to all of her sorrow. This girl with the mint green eyes convinced herself that the cure to her faithless haze could be found by falling in love. Her journey, for the past three years, was none other than a quest for a beloved hero whom could fill her life with purpose and interpersonal connection.
The gown worn by the damsel of Segaduses billowed like a blossoming tulip as she seated herself across the sage.
“I’ve been expecting you, dear,” the pale old woman stirred her chalice, making a burgundy whirlpool of the most fragrant truth serum. As the aroma wafted into stuffy cottage the damsel’s nostrils were filled and the knowledge she had denied deep in the core of her brain was activated.
With a confident nod the sage pointed to the knight on the stallion, outside of the cabin, whom had brought the Segaduses maiden so far along her journey.
“He is the one,” the strong-minded sage determined. “The man on the stallion is the man you will wed.”
For a fleeting second the damsel’s brow furrowed, then quickly vanished. Suddenly with a panic the enlightened yet shocked girl hastily shook her head, as if to rattle away the wisdom of the perceptive woman before her. “Oh no, no… he can’t be. I’ve known him for three years… he’s, he’s always been there in the background. If he were the one I would have known.”
“Dear,” the sage’s raspy voice lowered to a tender lull, “Knowledge does not require your conscious consent. Sometimes our subconscious knows at first sight, but our mind does not realize that what we felt was knowledge until years have passed.”
It took the frazzled girl a moment to respond. Her mint green eyes shivered as she struggled to make sense of the sage’s wisdom. How could it be? How could she have wanted something so badly but have never realized it was right before her eyes?
Adamant that the sage of Tarkus must have made a mistake, the damsel allowed her stubborn mind to wonder aloud, “But how can he be my hero if he does not have my most coveted traits?”
“Well what are you looking for in a hero, my dear?” the sage asked.
“A hero who has the same interests as I do.”
“So he is a reflection?”
“A hero who loves me unconditionally.”
“So he is a father?”
“A hero who knows how I feel before I say it.”
“So he is omniscient?”
Having given up, the damsel sunk deeper into her seat.
“Dear, what your heartbreak longs for is not a partner. What you are describing is not an equal. You are describing a God.”
Having given up, the Segaduses girl fell deeper into her subconscious, realizing the knowledge her depressed mind had repressed for so long.
– Valerie Parente (11-23-2017)
“Glittler In The Air” by Valerie Parente
“Run Away” by Valerie Parente
I told a star that I wanted to dedicate a fraction of myself to its bright soul. I preserved my time long before I ever laid eyes on that star. I spent twenty three years cultivating emotions, memories, and wisdom, and waited until it felt right to share these qualities. Then in the rain of my own eyes I was denied. And I guess what I feel now… is lost. I am lost in an immaculate dark forest under the most beautiful canopy of stars. Here I am trying to run away from a sadness surrounded by the sparkling night and I cannot figure out if the glitter in the air is a sign to turn back around, or a guiding light towards new territory.
– Valerie Parente (11-6-2017)
valerieparente 