Bite Me! by Valerie Parente
Tell me to shut up
close my mouth
as you bare your teeth,
you chew me up
then spit me out
as you please,
so tell me why you’re so offended
when I say “Bite Me!”
It’s almost as if you’re not offended by the content of my words
but the fact that I had the audacity to dictate what happens to my body first.
– Valerie Parente (12-20-2025)
Danger to Society by Valerie Parente
They say that my anatomy
is a danger to society
when it comes to expressing
all that’s inside of me.
Yet I’m not too dangerous
for you to profit off of it
for you to get off with it
do whatever you want with it
but I need to be cautious with it.
You censor my canvas
and give yourself the advantage
with arbitrary rules and guidelines
while I’m just collateral damage.
But if you ask me
you’re the real danger to society
because you take what isn’t yours
then make it my responsibility.
– Valerie Parente (5-15-2024)
What Am I To You? by Valerie Parente
What am I to you
but a means to breed?
What is my anatomy to you
but a sacrifice so sweet?
What is my pain to you
but a moral victory?
What is my pleasure to you
but a sin to preach?
What is my desperation to you
but a punishment for being free?
What is my free will to you
but a political chess piece?
What is my free will to you
but something to mistreat?
What is my hope to you
but a mere dream?
What am I to you
but a lesser being?
– Valerie Parente (6-28-2022)
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