Blood Diamonds

June 27, 2025June 30, 2025Leave a comment

Blood Diamonds by Valerie Parente

They all look so glamorous,
the diamond encrusted
but if you knew how they got there
you’d be disgusted
mined by the egos
primed for corruption
and we are the fools
with the naive assumption
that idols larger than life
will be well adjusted
but how can you know wrong from right
without a moral compass
how dare you call for peace
when you’re drowning in conflict.

Call it what it is
a network of blood diamonds
but you can’t see the blood on their hands
when the sparkles are so blinding.

Maybe one day we’ll learn
not to idolize the elites
dressed too fancy for practice
befit to only preach.

Antithetical Thesis

September 22, 2023September 22, 2023Leave a comment

Antithetical Thesis by Valerie Parente

I have this freedom
a freedom to express
but I am afraid
of my own success
and what it means
to let my laurels rest
because if you like what you see
then I can reap the benefits
but who wants to be a reaper
other than the lord of death?
I don’t want to kill my spark
I want the ever glowing brightness
but I’ve always been in love
with finding beauty in darkness.
It’s all so confusing
the antithetical thesis
the dissonance of my hopes
mixed with poetic justice
because I want to be free
and I want to be complex
but out there on a stage
you might see that I’m less.
I have to put myself out there
if I want to impress
but I crumble from criticism
because I’m such a pathetic narcissist.
I don’t really want the fame
I want the respect
because fame is the curse
that you get when you’re blessed.

– Valerie Parente (9-22-2023)

Statues

February 26, 2023Leave a comment

Statues by Valerie Parente

Built up from the ground
by the same hands they tear down,
statues with a soul
sold long ago,
can’t relate to the struggles
of their talentless doubles,
speaking so highly
above the stain of society,
as we scream “Who do you think you are?”
to these egos gone too far,
but we’re starting to catch on
how they’re the statues yet we’re the pawns,
oh how do you think they’d act
if we turned our backs?
No more eye contact with their bluffs
when they look down on us,
but it is them who will break
under the pressure of their hate.

– Valerie Parente (2-26-2023)

Starbound

October 9, 2021March 10, 2023Leave a comment

Starbound by Valerie Parente

Glitter on my eyes
I’m no longer hidden
put me on display
in all my resilience
I’m gonna be a star
that much is imminent
watching from a space
that’s gradually shifting
from shame to grace
I shine and I glisten
lend me your hand
on this stellar mission.

– Valerie Parente (10-9-2021)

Art Without Fame

January 12, 2021October 17, 2021Leave a comment

Art Without Fame by Valerie Parente

Artistic displays without God-like fame gets you weird looks.
Promiscuous fashion without hollow passion gets you unsold books.
Poetic mindsets without a publisher’s subtext gets you ridiculed.
Free expression without others’ discretion gets you verbal abuse.
Because it’s okay to feel hurt
as long as you have a following
and it’s okay to create stories
as long as you’re not being honest
but the moment you draw from your real life
without the public’s hype
that’s when they call you the bad guy;
Because art without fame is just the diary of a lunatic.
Love without a mate gets you deemed the psycho chick.
And this is not a complaint, just a reminder that I’m aware of it.
So bid me your hate, I’m already immune to it.

I’ve learned to accept that when you merge intellect with fishnets
as a way to project an explicit mindset and mental health awareness
you’ll get teased by the rest but I’m okay with that test
because I’ve overcome too much stress against the odds of my illness
to still give a fraction of a shit.

– Valerie Parente (1-12-2021)