She Bites Back by Valerie Parente
If you bite
she bites back
then you have the nerve to make her the enemy
when she reacts
telling the world her defense mechanisms
are an attack
but you bit first
then put on the act
that it’s her fangs
with the negative impact.
Yes, you bit first
but she’ll bite last.
– Valerie Parente (7-5-2026)
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)
A Siren’s Threat by Valerie Parente
If I were a siren
I’d kill men too
lure them to the fishnets
they forced me into.
We are more than the sex
to which we have been reduced
may we serenade men to death
for all the times they’ve been cruel
because mother nature’s silhouette
is in the shape of a typhoon
and when they get shipwrecked
they won’t feel our grooves
only the ocean’s depths
under the pull of the moon
and this world would be no less
if anything, improved.
– Valerie Parente (11-29-2025)
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.
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)
Free In My Own Skin by Valerie Parente
If there were no men I’d be naked all of the time.
If there was no threat I’d be making my own highs.
If there was no sex I’d be vacant in my mind.
And I am compelled to be a sin in their eyes.
I don’t do provocative for them, I do it for me
because being feminine makes me feel free
and the fact that that’s a danger to society
is nothing short of chauvinism at its peak.
– Valerie Parente (7-11-2024)
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)
Knives for Tears by Valerie Parente
I had a nightmare
that I had knives
instead of tears
embedded under my eyes
from when someone stabbed me
but I survived.
I woke up
only to realize
it wasn’t a nightmare at all
but a beautiful sign
of my scathing resilience
when they thought I’d cry.
– Valerie Parente (5-10-2024)
Succubus by Valerie Parente
Milky eyes rolled
in the back of her head
they accuse the succubus
of stealing dreams from the men.
She’s only as good
as when they want to be around her
as if her morality
is tied to their arousal.
He can touch her
but she can’t touch him
just like she can lose her value
but he can only win.
Her pleasure, her lust,
a malevolence in itself
while he’s in high heaven
she’s going straight to hell.
They call her a succubus
because she likes to be exposed
that’s why they justify
putting a knife to her throat.
But they don’t know
she’ll stroke the knife with her tongue
because she taught herself
to like the taste of blood.
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)
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