Clarence Carvel

why i poet ✨

tongues + deceit ✨

questions + mothers ✨

weekly + process 💫

as an #immigrant sheltering inside the belly of a hostile and vengeful host, i am forced to remain silent, as a form of protection from the hounds hunting the aliens—legal and illegal. but there are times one must risk even safety to speak truth to power.

#Christians have been eerily silent on #Israel and its bloody crusade, and I've been thinking what Jesus might have to say about all of this carnage.

#ChrisSmalls heads home tomorrow, but his heroic gesture, attempting to feed starving babies in #Gaza, is one for the history books.

Welcome!

Today is for MLK!

TikTok is banned, and I know the ban is a crushing blow for some who used the platform to build something beautiful. I share your disappointment and thought I might offer a few words of optimism. TikTok showed us what was possible, and whatever comes next, will build on that legacy. Stay inspired!

I read this whole thing before brushing my teeth 😂

white savior 💫

I've been meaning to get to Bell Hooks for years and I finally prioritized her this year. I'm a few pages in and already loving it. Looking forward to the pages that follow.

starting the year with these 3.

i'm 12 days late starting my gym routine, but by hook or crook, we gon get this body right in 2025! #delayedbutnotdenied

It sure is 😊

i was in love once. it was a fleeting moment in time, but it was full. i wish all good things lasted a lifetime, even when they arrive to meet us unprepared. i learned something navigating that experience—love is freeing. and we all deserve to be free.

i've been away. gathering myself for the new year ahead. i have some new intentions. choosing to be kinder and more gracious to myself. more importantly, i want to say yes to more things. good things. miracles—perhaps. that show up in the form of people, experiences, and thoughtful art. happy 2025!

If we're gonna bring all the useless political rhetoric from that other app here, then what kind of space are we intending to build? I'm not interested in what we lost in the fire. Rather, tell me how we build a new bridge. Show me the path to a freer, kinder existence.

As a foreigner living in America who pays taxes and contributes to this country as a college instructor, I am often shocked by the sentiments some Americans share of immigrants. However, I know that not all Americans are this way, and my intenton is to stand with those who believe in human decency.

They're operating more like a blog than a credible news source for real.

How to Avoid Mixing Your Metaphors   It’s not rocket surgery. First, get all your ducks on the same page. After all, you can’t make an omelette without breaking stride.   Be sure to watch what you write with a fine-tuned comb. Check and re-check until the cows turn blue. It’s as easy as falling off a piece of cake.   Don’t worry about opening up a whole hill of beans: you can always burn that bridge when you come to it, if you follow where I’m coming from.   Concentrate! Keep your door closed and your enemies closer. Finally, don’t take the moral high horse: if the metaphor fits, walk a mile in it. Brian Bilston

Today’s poem is called ‘How to Avoid Mixing Your Metaphors’.

#transdayofremembrance

#internationalmensday

I hope this site remains a space to be productive and engage in decent, respectful dialogue. It only makes sense.

You're in good company then. Baldwin especially is one of the only voices that helps me process and make sense of the realities of recent events. His words always provide direction and offer solace.

I've been a fan of Hooks for a few years now, and I think she is right that we have to do the work of redefining love outside of patriarchal confinements. Bell and Baldwin are the ancestors we need in this time.

Where are the black folk who are going to therapy, pursuing their dreams, creating memories, building community, and minding their grown-ass business?

I still need to read it, but personally, I believe in love!