Pink Petals by Valerie Parente
Pink petals
so gentle
speak with grace
and let the dust settle.
Floral state
my mind-frame
gather it up
and make a bouquet.
Rosy blush
when it gets rough
decorate me
like I’m in love.
– Valerie Parente (8-12-2021)
Garden Girl by Valerie Parente
Garden girl
the way she unfurled
took a long time
to fulfill her words.
Garden seeds
dirt on her knees
buried her sadness
with a thumb so green.
Garden rain
it’s just a mind-frame
we could be our gloom
or we could be its grace.
Garden growth
from hell she coped
decided to be resilient
in how she spoke.
There is always a choice
between wreckage and poise
she can’t control the weather
but she could control her voice.
The clouds rolled in
and the garden listened
come rain or tears
it does not know the difference.
– Valerie Parente (7-31-2021)
Poisoned Apple by Valerie Parente
There was a curse upon that orchard,
stemming from each apple seed,
and when the cold came around,
an apple fell from the apple tree,
sour and rotting from the inside
when it was supposed to be sweet,
poisoned from its very core,
just like a mental disease,
they told me to give it to a man,
since they often cause the grief,
but I knew if I poisoned a man,
it was the same as poisoning me,
and on the rainiest of rainy days,
I let that apple decay in the leaves,
because hurting those who hurt you,
is an excuse for the weak,
and the earth responded so kind,
to a woman’s forgiveness and mercy,
the ground swallowed that apple,
then it swallowed another three,
and as each fruit fell to the soil,
it was healed from its malady,
altogether the orchard ripened,
and it was as good as freed,
cured by a change of thought,
that’s how we reach true equality.
– Valerie Parente (5-8-2021)
Swift Relief by Valerie Parente
How beautiful
it is to see
another artist
blossoming
I feel her pain, and I admire her words
my mind feels heard, even though its her’s
and what a swift relief
when I detach from me
I finally feel free
as folklore speaks
another being’s story.
Its nice to feel haunted
by someone other than me
to feel a sense of sanity
through another’s humanity.
– Valerie Parente (8-9-2020)
Commentary on Rather Be Haunted.
Real To Me by Valerie Parente
How miraculous it is when you’re realizing
that there is a mirror between the universe and your psyche.
I saw a ghost and I thought it was real,
I had a connection with a boy that I thought was real
and whether it was real on the outside or just make-believe
this haunted experience had a real impact on me
so to come up with the title without even thinking
about how that metaphor mirrored my psychological making
became another “a-ha” moment where I knew God was with me
and without a doubt I know He was partaking in my journey.
These synchronicities don’t happen every now and then
they happen all the time, it’s just a matter of recognizing them.
– Valerie Parente (7-12-2020)
The Time Is Up by Valerie Parente
In 2 months you’ll be able to breathe again.
In 2 months you’ll remember the fallen.
In 2 months you’ll learn to live with yourself.
In 2 months you’ll realize what really counts.
In 2 months you’ll find a reason to laugh.
In 2 months you’ll rise above your past.
Because this is God’s way of saying the time is up,
time to come face to face with your fears
time to get to know the mind you’ve been avoiding for 25 years
time to feel the discomfort that matures you through loneliness
time to master your trauma like a true artist
time to look inward for gratification
time to make those long overdue changes
time to show your ego how far you’ve come
time to tell the people you love that they’re enough.
It’s time to see your deepest pain through;
It’s time to contribute to the world that chose to spare you.
– Valerie Parente (3-31-2020)
Harmony by Valerie Parente
For the first time in my adult life
I’m at peace with the fact that I’m not someone else’s goal
and that’s perfectly alright
because I don’t need someone else to feel whole
and I’m having a good time getting to know
that human that is my own
and I’m learning that deep down at the level of my soul
I’m never truly alone.
– Valerie Parente (7-25-2019)
Games by Valerie Parente
I’m not over you,
I’m over the games.
I’m over rolling the dice to see if today you’ll be nice, wondering if I’ll have to fight to bring out your good side.
I’m over the way you play me for a fool while I just play aloof, pretending I don’t see the truth but I know your every move.
I’m over showing all my cards like I’ve got the king of hearts but then you try to be smart and leave me at a loss.
I’m over not knowing what comes next because you’re shuffling the deck trying to create randomness before it’s my turn to guess.
I’m over calling all your bluffs and trying to earn your trust because you’re too scared to grow up and admit there could be an “us”.
Then you yell and you scream because you want to beat me but what you failed to see is we’ve been on the same team.
– Valerie Parente (7-10-2019)
The entire universe and its blessings are in the palm of my hand by Valerie Parente
The entire universe and its blessings are in the palm of my hand. I can feel the energy that makes up you and me and everything in between and I am in awe that I did not notice until now how interconnected we all are with the energy we spawned from. I still have longings but I feel so whole and complete like my longings long back for me. I feel that my blessings walk beside me even when they can’t be seen. I am not discouraged when things do not go my way, I am empowered. Every struggle is proof that I am worthy of more than I hoped to settle for and I am in awe and in love with the story the universe writes about me.
– Valerie Parente (9-27-2018)
Potential In Action by Valerie Parente
To identify this catalyst felt right
I know that something special will happen
There is this lingering hope so well-timed
Like a tangible potential in action.
Magic hones the human existence
This sense diagnosed as divine intuition
We all can access its many promises
If we make the decision to listen.
Do not let your chance sweep by
When you are met by the extrasensory
That realm of “what could be” for mankind
stems from your instinct to detect destiny.
– Valerie Parente (3-19-2018)
valerieparente 