Ends of the Earth
by Valerie Parente
I would go
to the ends of the earth
to make sure you know
just how much you’re worth
stretched out past the atmosphere
beyond the boundaries of the world
yes for you I would go
to the ends of the earth
because you’re less of a planet
and more of an entire universe.
– Valerie Parente (6-21-2026)
Primordial Soup
by Valerie Parente
Back when we were floating
in the primordial soup
I said I’ll go
but I’m not going without you.
I know in my heart of hearts
down to each molecule
when I chose life
you chose it too.
Across the universe
we swore we’d find each other
again and again
entangled to one another.
We picked the earth
human life to discover
what it feels to be a breath
space and time undercover.
I knew I wouldn’t remember
this very specifics of this promise
but I swore when I found what I was meant to
I’d be sure to recognize it.
– Valerie Parente (6-6-2026)
Meeting You Was A Lot Like Remembering by Valerie Parente
Meeting you
was a lot like remembering
what I wanted
when I thought I’d forgotten.
Being with you
was a lot like recognizing
an answer to a prayer
when it was in the palm of my hands.
Nothing with you ever felt new to me
it felt like waking up and remembering a dream
like you’re just another quality of reality
like space and time and the air we breathe
like rhyme and reason and poetry
like you and me are meant to be.
– Valerie Parente (1-25-2026)
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