Seaglass by Valerie Parente
You are seaglass;
look how far you’ve come
from a jagged past,
when they tried to treat you
like you were trash,
but the world had plans
other than that,
using ebbs and flows
so you could adapt,
soften the blows
because you’re seaglass;
you drifted afar
but then you came back,
softer than before
because you’re seaglass.
– Valerie Parente (10-11-2024)
Goddess by Valerie Parente
We call it the will of God
though women bear that cross
for it is them who represent
the concept of consequence
and if the world was honest
we’d say it came from a Goddess.
Therein lies, a tale as old as time;
how it is man who crucifies
the ones who wholeheartedly know
the magnificent power that they hold.
– Valerie Parente (9-28-2024)
Free In My Own Skin by Valerie Parente
If there were no men I’d be naked all of the time.
If there was no threat I’d be making my own highs.
If there was no sex I’d be vacant in my mind.
And I am compelled to be a sin in their eyes.
I don’t do provocative for them, I do it for me
because being feminine makes me feel free
and the fact that that’s a danger to society
is nothing short of chauvinism at its peak.
– Valerie Parente (7-11-2024)
Lone Wolf by Valerie Parente
Maybe I’m just a lone wolf,
me, myself, and I,
don’t have to worry about a pack,
it’s just me, myself, and rhymes.
Baby I’m just a lone wolf,
ever so hard to swoon,
but why do I still blush,
when you howl at the moon?
You should stay away from me,
I can tear you apart,
if I feel the slightest threat,
I’ll turn the predator in me on.
But even a lone wolf
has that canine inside,
with so much love for people,
but it’s people who should hide.
– Valerie Parente (7-5-2024)
Immaculate by Valerie Parente
At the beginning God said,
“Let there be light”
but Luna was born
on a pitch black midnight.
So she grew up and lectured God,
“I don’t know who you think you are,
but I see so much cruelty around me;
the world is nothing but dark.”
And God looked at her and laughed,
“Sweet girl, you’ve got it all wrong,
you can see these things around you
because you are that light amongst it all.”
So she made it her mission in life
to spread light into the atmosphere,
and nobody knew where she came from
but they knew she was meant to be here.
– Valerie Parente (6-16-2024)
Homebody by Valerie Parente
I was looking for a place to call home
when a realization flashed like a spark,
that home is those moments in time,
times when loved ones left their mark.
And moments in time
are always doomed to depart,
to become invisible and intangible
except for in my heart.
Home is not something I will lose
if it is already lost
and in that way there is nothing new to fear
unless you fear what we are.
– Valerie Parente (6-14-2024)
Sink or Swim by Valerie Parente
When I was young
nobody ever taught me how to swim
and I thought, “Oh I’m so lucky
that they didn’t throw me in the deep end.”
No one told me it’s a good thing
to experience that rush of adrenaline,
no one told me the wave of fear
can save your life before it’s even started.
I realize as I age
and the safety nets wear thin
that the real world is less like a pool
and more like an entire ocean.
I am almost thirty years old
and I’m asking you to throw me in
I know that I could drown
but if I drown, at least I’ve lived.
– Valerie Parente (6-7-2024)
Sol Purpose by Valerie Parente
What I am
and what I could have been
is what the moon is to the sun
when you compare them.
A fireball of brilliant light
so much potential in action
and I am no more than a rock
whose light is but a fraction.
Though I’ll tell you something about the sun
it hovers alone above the horizon
but when the moon is out
billions of stars join the environment.
To be bright and sole
or to be dim but glistening
one leaves all blind
one reveals purpose in the end.
– Valerie Parente (5-28-2024)
Danger to Society by Valerie Parente
They say that my anatomy
is a danger to society
when it comes to expressing
all that’s inside of me.
Yet I’m not too dangerous
for you to profit off of it
for you to get off with it
do whatever you want with it
but I need to be cautious with it.
You censor my canvas
and give yourself the advantage
with arbitrary rules and guidelines
while I’m just collateral damage.
But if you ask me
you’re the real danger to society
because you take what isn’t yours
then make it my responsibility.
– Valerie Parente (5-15-2024)
Knives for Tears by Valerie Parente
I had a nightmare
that I had knives
instead of tears
embedded under my eyes
from when someone stabbed me
but I survived.
I woke up
only to realize
it wasn’t a nightmare at all
but a beautiful sign
of my scathing resilience
when they thought I’d cry.
– Valerie Parente (5-10-2024)
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