08/19/2026
I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS HAPPENED💙💛💚
📓THE STORY: Two years ago, at a Befriend Poetry Gather, we met “Boss.”
💙Before the poetry gather began, I spotted him sitting on a park bench, boom box playing loud rap music. I walked over to invite him to join us. He immediately offered to turn down the music & then said he had some poems of his own.
💛Boss shared that he had just gotten out of prison that day. While incarcerated, he created poems in his head. Poetry became an escape, a way to process, imagine, and express himself. That night, he joined our Gather and recited two moving poems by heart. We were all in AWE.
💚We stayed in touch for a while afterwards. But when he got a new phone, he lost all his contacts.
🥹And then… two years later, while I’m at Jefferson Park with Monica & Roslyn, we reconnected with Boss!
✌️It’s moments like this that remind me why Befriend exists.
✨When we slow down.
✨When we say hello.
✨When we invite someone in.
✨When we listen to a story we might otherwise never hear.
🫶Compassion grows when we meet people different from ourselves, hear their stories, and realize we are more alike than different.
✌️A special thanks to City of Richmond, VA RVA Parks and Recreation for Jefferson Park, a beautiful space for us to gather.
😊JOIN US! Our next Befriend Poetry Gather is:
📆Thurs., Aug 20
⏰6:30-7:30pm
📍Jefferson Park, 1921 Princess Anne Ave, RVA
✌️DM to sign up or just stop by!
