A Sad Farewell To Borders Westgate

To the people at Borders Books Westgate,
    Sad to see you go.
    Yeah … it was a chain. But your little corner of the 04 was a cool and safe spot to sip juice, nurse a hangover or broken heart, and maybe hatch a new plan. It was a coffee den where you didn't have to bear a poet's struggles, and it was quiet. God love ya … it was quiet.
    For 10 years Borders Westgate was a sweet communal tree house. I saw lots of you guys come and go. When I was at some of my lowest, poorest times, the black coffee and live-and-let-live attitude of your spot gave me a safe place to sit, read, or hide in plain sight. Y'all allowed everyone a safe place. From briefcases to bedrolls, everyone was allowed in till closing time. That's not measured in profits, but in soul.
    To everyone who worked there, y'all really made the place what it was. My sincere thanks and respect. Corporate suits halfway across the country may never acknowledge what you did, but lots of us regular people do. I, for one, won't forget it.