Tag: Resilience

Memento Vivere

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Memento Vivere by Valerie Parente

When hatred took a life
and people gathered to grieve
the Devil cruelly boasted
about the havoc that he wreaked
praising the power of hatred
when there is tragedy.
He looked out to all the people
and he shamelessly teased,
“How could you pitiful humans
see catastrophe then denounce me?
Look how people come together
because of the hate I unleashed!”
But the clouds began to part
and the angels looked down lovingly
as the humans who still lived
engaged in their ceremony
watching the overflow of love
in the name of rest in peace.
“People do not come together because of you,”
the angels said with ease,
“People come together in spite of you
and any form of catastrophe.
The power does not stem
from the hate you have breathed
it comes from rejecting the hate
and the Devil’s very defeat.
Hate has no power on earth
it only temporarily fleets
and what withstands after you
is their newfound unity.”

– Valerie Parente (9-30-2025)

Knives for Tears

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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)

SALVATION (A Mask)

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SALVATION (A Mask) by Valerie Parente

Saving lives
and ruining lives
are two very different things
but often the ones who promise salvation
are the ones that follow it with condemnation
and it is this very intolerance
that muddies all common sense.

They say they want to help
by creating a concept of hell
but they don’t really want to save your soul
they just want power and control.

True salvation doesn’t come from a hierarchy or rules
true salvation comes from acceptance with the truth
and the truth is there’s something within
that makes you ever so resilient.

– Valerie Parente (7-15-2022)

Resilience

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Resilience by Valerie Parente

The signs were pretty clear
when I cried out for help
and you pretended not to hear
when I scratched myself
then wiped blood on the mirror.

Did you really want to be the one
to teach me that life isn’t fair
to teach me that nobody really cares
to teach me that the world owes me nothing
and that I will always have to fight for my fair share.

Today I’m going to vent
but tomorrow I’ll get even,
because I’m done with this abusive environment
and how you broke me in pieces.

So many pieces of me
but you’re the one who broke
you let your ugly run free
through every word that you spoke.
The sharpest pieces of me
I’ll use those shards to slit your throat
and nobody else will have to be
a punchline to your cruel jokes.

Ariel

– Valerie Parente (11-27-2019)