The Message: Coffee and Books Are How We Stop Fascism In America

“Got no money to move out, I guess I got no choice
Rats in the front room, broke dudes in the back” — The Message by GrandMaster Flash And the Furious Five

They never wanted us to be friends. They never wanted you to hear the roar of my laugh from a joke you told. They never wanted you to see the radiance of my smile. They never wanted you to visit the inter-sanctum of my abode. They never wanted you to sit at my dining room table and share a meal. They do not want me and you to be friends because friends do not allow strangers, acquaintances, or wrongdoers to malign their friends.

Friends do not allow anyone to lie about their friend. If we were friends, we would have a bond that is not easily broken. You would hear about my struggles, and I would learn of your hardships. If we were friends, I’d rejoice in your joys, and you’d celebrate my accomplishments.

If we were friends, we would be part of each other’s lives. Friendship means something because all friendships are anchored in love. Love that is honest, patient, and given freely. Love that does not tolerate anyone disrespecting your friend because you cannot belittle someone that I love to my face. If you do not love that person, you are not their friend.

That is why they do not want us to be friends because love heals. Love cures all that ails our world. Where there is…