The Key To Happy by Valerie Parente
I didn’t get better because I got to love you
I got to love you because I got better.
I didn’t heal for you
I healed for me
and that is why
I am finally free
to truly enjoy
another being
without depending
on them for healing.
This is the honest truth
this is the real key
accept yourself
then enjoy company.
– Valerie Parente (7-6-2021)
Have you been enjoying my poetry? I love to post my work on valerieparente.com to act as a free library for my writing and art. That being said, if you would like a HARD COPY of my latest work (200+ poetry and prose pieces) you can support me by purchasing Moonchild Manifesto: A Poetry & Prose Collection on Amazon.com. (LINK HERE) Coping with the trauma that arises when you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder during a pandemic and heartbreak and also dealing with the leftover trauma from OCD and anorexia growing up are major themes in Moonchild Manifesto. There is a progression throughout the collection that begins with recognizing pain and heartbreak, transforms into reflection and how your mind could ever get to such a traumatized and obsessive point, and graduates into hopefulness through fantastical allegory-poem hybrids and personal poetic affirmations. Along with stomping out mental health stigma this collection has undertones of feminism, free speech activism, spirituality, and commentary on living through a pandemic. This is easily my favorite project thus far and I would love to share it with the world.
If you liked any of the following pieces on my website you will love them in a full collection that follows a trajectory from The Hurt, The Heal, into The Hope. Some fan favorite poems in Moonchild Manifesto are:
– Valerie Parente (7-5-2021)
Moonchild Manifesto by Valerie Parente is a body of work that documents the parallel between two acts: feeling a profound connection and making it your whole mood, and taking a topic and making it your artistic muse. There is a similarity between poetry and the spell we call love. A Moonchild is hyper-sensitive to this similarity and understands how it is equally enchanting as it is taxing. Divided into three moon phases, this poetry and prose collection follows the subconscious trajectory of The Hurt, The Heal, and The Hope.
Valerie Parente’s third poetry and prose collection manifested out of what she does best, mixing psychology, spirituality, and fantasy to make sense of her mental experiences as both a human being with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and a whimsically dark artist.
From A Mile Away by Valerie Parente
When you realized I was your teammate
I saw it coming from a mile away,
that’s why I tried to steer you towards a path
when it wasn’t really my place to ask,
and now I understand I was too compromised
by an infatuation that soared beyond my pride,
and when it all blew up in the worst way
I saw it coming from a mile away.
I understand now why I didn’t stick around
and even though it brought on a pain so profound,
I’m so glad I learned how to rely on no one else
to take care of my ever-evolving mental health.
– Valerie Parente (3-30-2021)
The Phases of My Mental Health (So Far…) by Valerie Parente
My crown,
on a daydreamed version of myself,
turned to antlers,
on a haunted version of myself,
turned to horns,
on a metaphysical version of myself,
and I,
will never be overwhelmed,
by the phases,
of my mental health.
– Valerie Parente (6-25-2021)
3rd Poetry & Prose Collection Coming Soon
on Amazon.com
Narcissistic Empathy by Valerie Parente
The way I empathize,
is through narcissistic sight,
I know you have eyes,
because I have mine.
– Valerie Parente (6-19-2021)
That’s The Moon by Valerie Parente
Look up high
at the night sky.
See that? That’s the moon
it’s not an excuse
it’s an explanation
to something complicated
something I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand
but when I break it down as a symbol I stand a chance
to make sense of the voice inside
this methodically mad mind.
Do you see that? That’s the moon
and it belongs to you too.
– Valerie Parente (6-16-2021)
The Architect by Valerie Parente
She who wears the claw of chrome,
upon her right hand,
can create worlds,
from a pathological plan.
It’s the illness in her defective bones,
that whispers the blueprint,
adjusting the world order,
to rebuild from the ruins.
She’s made it her grand mission,
to map out this pain,
now it’s her duty,
to make a home out of a maze.
With bright pink locks of hair,
she has your attention,
they agree with the task,
but don’t understand the reference.
She’s called a freak when she lays it out,
with her architectural mind,
but her cultural impact,
is an outcome that doesn’t lie.
She has an eye for constructing it all,
knows where to lie the stones,
knows where to build up,
knows where to dig a hole.
Everybody wants the stigma to vanish,
but rarely do they realize,
that to see past the roadblocks,
we need to open our eyes.
– Valerie Parente (6-16-2021)
Your Wardrobe by Valerie Parente
They wrapped you up
when you were born
covered your autonomy
in societal norms.
How do you express yourself
when you can’t be loud?
How do you wear your psyche
while it wears you out?
How can this be you
but not what you’re about?
How do you untangle your episodes
from the threads on your clothes
wrapped in a neurotic wardrobe
when all you want is to be exposed?
– Valerie Parente (6-15-2021)
Nemesis (Not Me) by Valerie Parente
I’m finally happy
and my OCD still found me.
I see you in my dreams
with a tangible body
but when I go to defeat you
you’re the nemesis that continues
like a chain that keeps repeating
in a relationship so uneven.
I see you in so many forms
using my sweet slumber to return
and I punch, I kick, I scream
I wrestle to separate from the enemy
and I get oh so frantic
to justify my antics
begging the peers before my eyes
to understand that I’m the good guy
that I am separate from this disease
but then I wake up and it’s not a dream.
I still have this sickness on my skin
when I’m awake I’m still hallucinating
and it’s hard to believe I used to be afraid
convinced I’d be so lost without this charade
but now that I’m full grown I finally see
that this disease is nothing without me.
You’re just a sickness that attaches
used my puberty to take advantage
and I was far too young to understand
that your golden offer was a cruel scam.
How dare you stick yourself to me
even when my brain is asleep?
How dare you attack those I love
as if my entire psyche wasn’t enough?
And even though I’m so damn exhausted
by the nemesis in my subconscious
I’ve finally found my grace and solace
knowing I can manipulate you as an artist.
– Valerie Parente (6-13-2021)
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