Let Your Hair Down by Valerie Parente
If there is such a world
that buries women in the ground
for letting their hair down
let my sisters see the light of day
when a tornado comes their way.
As they feel the movement in the air
tell my sisters, don’t be scared
that rush is just the feeling
of the wind in your hair.
– Valerie Parente (3-3-2026)
Valkyrie by Valerie Parente
They told me to find a knight in shining armor
if I wanted someone to save me
so I polished my nails
and became my own source of bravery.
They told me to dull my shine
so that I wouldn’t distract
then pretended I never had
any power to take back.
They wanted me to yield my worth
and rely on the opposite sex
so I decided to wield my sword
and damn my own distress.
They tried to make me feel small
so I wouldn’t notice
that I am a force
to be reckoned with.
– Valerie Parente (2-20-2026)
The Damsel & The Demon
by Valerie Parente
There once was a Damsel named Daphne
and when she was just a girl
she started having intrusive thoughts
that drew her to the underworld.
There stood the kingdom of Nefaria
ruled by a soul sucking Demon
he preyed on the vulnerable
by giving them something to believe in.
With the incessant rhymes in her head
the Damsel turned to the Demon for relief
tolerating and even aiding
the damned souls he heartlessly reaped.
But in a moment of profound strength
Daphne had a change of heart
she felt the fire in her own soul,
all it took was one spark.
From that day began a journey
where her codependence would be unlearned
finding a power within herself
Daphne would be the Damsel no more.
One Woman
by Valerie Parente
One woman’s empowerment
is another woman’s degradation
and if you’re wondering who gets to decide
the answer is one woman,
one woman at a time.
– Valerie Parente (6-23-2025)
The False Promise of the Damsel in Distress
by Valerie Parente
I don’t think enough girls were taught the difference
between being in love and being obsessed,
so many stories of womanhood
were really stories of sickness,
that to attract a man
you have to be a damsel in distress,
that happily ever after was the goal
and your journey before was meaningless.
They taught us that pity
means he endlessly cares
and that negative attention
means love is in the air.
They said there has to be an obstacle
you can only overcome with him there,
that your accomplishments are null
unless a prince witnessed the despair.
So here’s to the girls
who broke their own hearts
taking on the damsel archetype
before adulthood could even start.
We are not ruined beyond repair,
we’re just a little scarred;
may we raise our daughters
as we raise our bars.
– Valerie Parente (3-28-2025)
Goddess by Valerie Parente
We call it the will of God
though women bear that cross
for it is them who represent
the concept of consequence
and if the world was honest
we’d say it came from a Goddess.
Therein lies, a tale as old as time;
how it is man who crucifies
the ones who wholeheartedly know
the magnificent power that they hold.
– Valerie Parente (9-28-2024)
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)
Rude Awakening by Valerie Parente
I should have known you were a total creep
when you declared “you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me”
and we had only been talking for one day that week
when you tried to parade around my anatomy.
Truthfully, I knew something was awry
though I told myself I’m just not used to nice guys
but nice isn’t profuse compliments one, two, twenty times
nice is giving a girl a chance to make up her own mind.
There is such profound violation
in having my time knowingly wasted
and I am far from complacent
to your attempts at emotional manipulation.
Damn right, I take it personally
that you had the nerve to try to corner me
but it took five seconds for me to formally
recognize you only act on insecurity.
My gut told me you were too good to be true
and at the time I didn’t want to be shrewd
but I hope your awakening is quite rude
because I don’t take kindly to being fooled.
This was a very rude awakening of mine;
a lesson that you can’t manifest a “dream guy”
because dreams are meant for closed eyes
and a girl needs to be awake at all times.
– Valerie Parente (5-3-2024)
Bitch! by Valerie Parente
She says “I’m not your bitch”
but he sure was possessive,
eager to identify her
through his own perspective.
When that woman was assertive
she got called aggressive
when she used her brain
she was oh so deceptive
when she remembered his betrayal
she was so damn obsessive.
But you don’t fool me
though I’ll admit, it’s impressive
how you’ve villainized the female
in the conscious collective.
Since the beginning of time
the men in charge were defensive
talking down to “little girls”
but we knew the real message
they didn’t want an even playing field
they wanted outright oppression.
No I’m not your bitch
but I’ve learned my lesson
go ahead and call me one
7 days out of 7
I’ll carry the weight you gave the word
when you were busy deflecting;
now who’s the stronger sex
in this pointless competition
the one calling names
or the one making the impression?
– Valerie Parente (9-4-2023)
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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