In The Moment by Valerie Parente
What about you
makes me not identify with the past?
Because I act like a ghost
of every experience I’ve ever had
but with you
I’m present in my path.
One step at a time
pain that never lasts
get up again
and enjoy what I have.
– Valerie Parente (6-29-2021)
Rose Buds by Valerie Parente
I collect rose buds
for the fun
and I feel immortal
like I am one
with the showcase
of my collection
that’s why I display
the things I love
infinite treasures
flow and flux
perpetual motifs
personification
they mirror me
like a reflection
objects with stories
never fully done.
It’s not hoarding
it’s admiration
for the symbols
in my vision.
– Valerie Parente (6-28-2021)
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
Hedge Maze by Valerie Parente
Hedge maze, nature made,
this confusing mystery,
then man came with sheers,
to make me feel pretty.
I didn’t ask to be planted,
when I became a seed,
sharp corners you touch,
in a labyrinth of evergreen.
You must get through the brush,
if you want to see,
what it’s like to love,
and be loved effortlessly.
I stumble through this maze,
it’s so new to me,
even though these hedges,
are my anatomy.
I am one with this path,
and it is one with my pleas,
never straying too far,
from the dream I dreamed.
I trust where it goes,
without a map to read,
even when I get lost,
I’m never out of reach.
I give you this hedge maze,
if you give me your feet,
we’ll do this together,
navigate this journey.
– Valerie Parente (4-23-2021)
Anomaly by Valerie Parente
You said my mind was weak
when I developed OCD
but I say my mind was strong
strong enough to rewire it all.
You said I favor my defects
because honesty is my reflex
but I’m denouncing the stigma
with this abnormal wisdom.
You said I have an excuse
to revisit my refuge
but I’m happier in the open
socializing instead of coping.
I’ve got this mental illness
pushing me to my limits
and you think that I’m complicit
but I’m really just its witness.
– Valerie Parente (6-23-2021)
Where I Come From by Valerie Parente
I made it personal on purpose,
so you could see the grace and the grit,
made the heartache so worth it,
’cause it’s an artist you played with.
Here’s the muse I choose to use,
thank you for seeing these metaphors through,
it got rough when I spoke the truth,
because of how much I love you.
Now it’s copyrighted to my tongue,
never resent where I come from,
using the fire in my lungs,
let’s flip the pages for fun.
My collection, my protection,
from any potential detriment,
it brought me the ideal lesson,
that’s the power of manifesting.
– Valerie Parente (6-16-2021)
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)
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