Danger to Society

May 21, 2024May 22, 2024Leave a comment

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)

Goodbye Girlhood

February 20, 2024February 23, 2024Leave a comment

Goodbye Girlhood by Valerie Parente

She knew it,
the day her Girlhood was dead and gone
it wasn’t a loss of innocence
in fact, it wasn’t even a loss.

Instead of deprivation
she was filled with awe
that her Girlhood even existed
regardless of how long.

In its place
gratitude had spawned
and she didn’t lament
instead she felt strong.

She was enriched
by who she once was
and she returned to the earth
to give back to a greater cause.

There is a prize with death
when you see life from above
and from that vantage point
you know how far you’ve come.

You’ll never know it was worth it
until the end of the song
and when you listen from a distance
you’ll know you’re where you belong.

– Valerie Parente (2-16-2024)

Quandary

December 10, 2023Leave a comment

Quandary by Valerie Parente

Am I my irrational thoughts
or am I the one that recognizes their insanity?
Could I be innocent
now that I think of it?

– Valerie Parente (12-10-2023)

A Daydreamer’s Cup of Tea

November 10, 2023November 10, 2023Leave a comment

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)

Huntress

October 20, 2023October 20, 2023Leave a comment

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)

NEWS: Art For Sale!

October 15, 2023October 15, 2023Leave a comment

You can now purchase my art on Redbubble! Prints, T-shirts, phone cases, notebooks and more featuring Mannequin Art © and Daydreamer Art ©. Many spooky pieces available for the Halloween season!

Here are just a few products from https://www.redbubble.com/people/ValeriePArtwork/explore?asc=u

she is the tree whisperer (A Fantasy Chronicle)

September 8, 2023October 4, 2023Leave a comment

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.”

Fire Games

August 5, 2022August 5, 2022Leave a comment

Fire Games by Valerie Parente

“The thing about playing with fire,”
remarked the squire,
“is that, make no doubt,
you will get burnt out.
You played games
with dangerous flames
for over a decade
and you forgot that burns
never fully fade.
Be cool with your words,
you aren’t the young blood you once were.”

– Valerie Parente (8-5-2022)