My Perfect Match by Valerie Parente
I always had
a flicker of hope in my heart
and when we met
I felt that spark.
It all makes perfect sense
when I look back
that I was struck
by my perfect match.
Fire always scared me
but not with you, my twin flame,
and if it all burned down
I wouldn’t be afraid,
if it all burned down with you
I’d only notice the glow on your face.
– Valerie Parente (12-13-2025)
Wind Chimes by Valerie Parente
Out of thin air
you seem to vanish
but that is only true
on a visual canvas.
You still ring in my ears
even though I can’t see you
like the wind that strikes wind chimes
and the sound is the only proof.
You blow me away
with the little signs you show
I can’t see you per se
but I can see how you affect the surroundings I know.
The wind is real
even though you can’t see it
pain is real
even though you can’t see it
love is real
even though you can’t see it
if heaven is real
it doesn’t matter if you believe it
maybe you’re still by my side
even though I can’t see you with my eyes
an energy coursing through time
like the wind to wind chimes.
– Valerie Parente (11-2-2025)
Moved My Soul (Crooked Halo) by Valerie Parente
You moved my soul
when I was told this soul is immobile
and this body was its only home
but now I feel home
anywhere that you go.
Maybe what I thought was a crooked halo
was really an orbit feeling a new pull
tilted, shifting, going rogue
saw my future out there with you
and told me to follow.
– Valerie Parente (11-11-2025)
The Weight of Memories by Valerie Parente
Memories carry weight.
I always have a memory of you
and you always have a memory of me
but when one person passes
that weight is no longer split evenly
all of a sudden it’s all on you
to carry all the moments we perceived
and memories all to one person
is what we call grief.
It is painful, but take it as an honor
that your loved one imparted them to you
now you get to carry them with you
in everything you do.
– Valerie Parente (1-1-2025)
The Butterfly Effect by Valerie Parente
When I think of my life’s journey
every event in retrospect
had infinite potential
but it led me to this one breath.
The odds of us crossing paths
and meeting the exact way we met
was virtually impossible
it all had to line up so perfect.
And now my heart flutters
to the beat of the butterfly effect
because I can’t help but believe
this universe has a divine depth.
For so long we were in separate places
but we shared the same chrysalis
while I was getting better
you were becoming your best.
Teach me about your previous life
and I’ll take it from here for the rest
now it’s our beautiful life
as we emerge from metamorphosis.
– Valerie Parente (10-12-2025)
Memento Vivere by Valerie Parente
When hatred took a life
and people gathered to grieve
the Devil cruelly boasted
about the havoc that he wreaked
praising the power of hatred
when there is tragedy.
He looked out to all the people
and he shamelessly teased,
“How could you pitiful humans
see catastrophe then denounce me?
Look how people come together
because of the hate I unleashed!”
But the clouds began to part
and the angels looked down lovingly
as the humans who still lived
engaged in their ceremony
watching the overflow of love
in the name of rest in peace.
“People do not come together because of you,”
the angels said with ease,
“People come together in spite of you
and any form of catastrophe.
The power does not stem
from the hate you have breathed
it comes from rejecting the hate
and the Devil’s very defeat.
Hate has no power on earth
it only temporarily fleets
and what withstands after you
is their newfound unity.”
– Valerie Parente (9-30-2025)
Blue Lips by Valerie Parente
You say, something about the cold
and how it makes you depressed
like the whole world goes dark
and you lose all interest.
You say, the cold is like death
but for me I feel alive
because we can only see breath
when it’s cold outside.
I say, something about the cold
and how it makes my lips blue.
Well at least when I’m cold
I’m the color of you.
– Valerie Parente (8-24-2025)
Remember by Valerie Parente
When it’s all said and done
and all you have left
are fuzzy memories of someone
you might not remember the conversations you had verbatim
you might not remember their laugh and their cadence
you might not remember what you did on a random Tuesday night
you might not remember the reason for a random Wednesday drive
as time goes on you might not remember
the person in your head
but the one thing you will always remember
is how much you loved them.
– Valerie Parente (8-12-2025)
How Can Nothingness Exist When You Are My Everything by Valerie Parente
You were with me
in my darkest hour of life
so I will be with you
when the darkness devours the light,
nothingness
could never separate me from you
you are my everything
the one thing that is true.
– Valerie Parente (7-22-2025)
The Sun by Valerie Parente
I miss you so much
it burns so deep
but like the Sun
I know you watch over me.
Like the Sun
I can never see you directly
with these little human eyes
in this little human body
but I can feel your warmth
and I know your heat
and even though I can’t reach out and touch you
I know you reach for me.
– Valerie Parente (7-17-2025)
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