The Skeleton Key by Valerie Parente
The skeleton key
scares many men
afraid it will open
a sinister realm.
But the truth of a key
is in its protection
able to lock out
anything coming in.
Maybe the skeleton key
makes us so unrelaxed
because it proves there is more in common
between the trespasser and the trespassed.
– Valerie Parente (2-16-2024)
No Cobwebs by Valerie Parente
The corners of my mind
are cobweb free
from the ever so incessant
repetitive activity.
I’ve never had the patience
to let the dust settle
and I know you need time
to let yourself develop.
Inside this headspace
I struggle to comprehend
why I want the same thing
over and over again.
The surfaces I touch
succumb to age
but here I am
nestled in the same place.
There are no cobwebs
when you always need to be clean
and it is this habit
that makes it hard to leave.
– Valerie Parente (2-1-2024)
Funhouse Reflex Hex by Valerie Parente
I have come up with a perfect spell
to keep my body dysmorphia in check,
a hex that allows me to see my mind as it is flawed
and my perception as how those flaws manifest.
First I look at someone I find beautiful
and all I see is skinny and perfect
then I imagine my face on the same exact body
and suddenly all I see is excess.
It is this brilliant trick
that takes me out of my own head,
it is this foolproof witchcraft
I call my Funhouse Reflex Hex
where I can finally separate my reality
from the mental virus
and I can see the flaws aren’t in my appearance,
they’re in the psychological defects.
– Valerie Parente (1-31-2024)
Underwater by Valerie Parente
I have this recurring dream
where I am under an aquatic spell
that allows me to breathe underwater
just me, and no one else.
It is a gift I forget I have
and to forget is a gift as well.
What a thrill to be able to remember,
remember but never dwell.
Like a mermaid in the sea
I am intrinsically compelled
to harbor feelings deep as the ocean
far from the surface that swells.
But living life underwater
can also feel quite like hell
because when mermaids cry
you can never really tell.
– Valerie Parente (1-12-2024)
On Paper by Valerie Parente
We were perfect on paper
but he didn’t like to read
that’s why it didn’t matter
when I wrote down our story.
– Valerie Parente (12-31-2023)
Heresy by Valerie Parente
Who am I
to declare what is
and isn’t
right?
And who are you
to decide which words are
and are not
taboo?
What is
an intrusive thought
if not
an act of God?
It all means nothing
until you assign it meaning
so wield your power
like it’s the only thing to believe in.
– Valerie Parente (11-18-2023)
Not Goodbye, Just See You Later by Valerie Parente
While you’re out there
living your new life
just know that your old life
was the best part of mine.
– Valerie Parente (10-21-2023)
Huntress by Valerie Parente
Huntress of the wilderness
with forearms a green pigment
and wouldn’t you believe
this huntress plays the victim
blaming the world
then unleashing her minions
razor toothed nymphs
so ravenous, so unforgiving
as if it were them who was scorned
because they know no division
between themselves and the huntress
and how she uses them for a mission
to get back at the wildlife
that threatens her position
upon a kingdom of bones
where she makes a killing.
The most vicious predator
but she is the one imprisoned
by her insatiable ego
and a never-ending vision
to be at the top of the food chain
but the top is lonely, isn’t it?
– Valerie Parente (10-14-2023)
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.
WOMAN by Valerie Parente
What is it about the female body
that makes you squirm
and throw a censor
over what should be the norm?
Because we’ve been taught to hide
veil
block
deny
then they wonder why
we harbor shame inside.
There is nothing inherently wrong
with simply existing
but to exist in the physical form
we must ask for permission.
Our body has the power
to wreak havoc on earth
and they made us believe
that is a curse
but it’s actually a gift
that in doing nothing we cause a stir
it is actually a gift
to be a WOMAN in this world.
– Valerie Parente (10-4-2023)
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