My Grandfather Drank Coffee

My grandfather made coffee every morning
in a stainless steel percolator;
when the coffee finished brewing
he left the basket of grounds in the pot,
drank a cup or two
then went to do the chores.

Once he returned he drank more coffee
and when necessary he made another pot;
this is how it went all day long
the coffee remaining in the percolator
getting stronger and stronger,
while Grandfather did the chores
or went to the store.

From morning until night
he made one pot after another
and drank one cup after another;
he called it “cowboy coffee”
and I learned to like it
the way Grandpa made it and drank it
with grounds settling in the bottom
of the white coffee cup,
which Grandma washed once a day.