The Fine Line of Yearning

The Fine Line of Yearning by Valerie Parente

Yearning is a fine line
between surviving and thriving
and somewhere along the line
I fell in love with the surviving
the journey to preserve myself
while trusting the timing
that the goal of something else
would be gratifying.

But I didn’t prepare for
the comfort of discomfort
finding home in the journey
finding peace in the yearning.
Waiting
preparing
learning
becoming the best me
and when I finally had my hands on all I dreamed
I couldn’t shake the feeling
that I wanted to go back to sleep.

But now I know who I am
and I know what I will carry with me
and I know closing that circle
is where that fine line completes.

– Valerie Parente (6-28-2026)

Raven Reverie

Raven Reverie by Valerie Parente

I had a vision
of a lady in a gown
but it was a bird cage
where a raven could be found.

I saw it all in a dream
a future I could articulate and pronounce
so I plucked a feather from the raven
and I wrote the whole thing down.

I believe in manifestation
and there were hints all around
like that feeling of remembering
when something new played out.

There were moments in my life
where a clue was said out loud
and I knew it was speaking to my soul
because there was no hesitation or doubt.

Every reverie
once suspended in the clouds
like a bird flying in the sky
that always ends up in the ground.

We bring to the earth
ideas from a place so profound
that the very act of thought
transcends all logic and sound.

– Valerie Parente (1-11-2026)



Dream State

Dream State by Valerie Parente

They say when you dream
you can incorporate outside stimuli
and I know that must be true
because I see things behind closed eyes.

When I was younger
I would dream
and dream
and dream
and now that I’m older
I have woken up
and everything I ever wanted was here, waiting for me.
Every sound, voice, and hope that permeated those dream states
Was peaking through the veil
waiting for me to wake.

They say dreams really do come true
but I understand now, it’s reality infused.
Your destiny coincides with your gut,
all you have to do is wake up.

– Valerie Parente (9-6-2025)