Breakfast

I learned to drink coffee
from Granddaddy.
He made it early
4am
on a wood stove
in a perk pot without a cord
or a clock.
He wore no watch.
Just sat up in bed
knowing the time
and went about making biscuits
and coffee
both of which aged until we got up
with Tommie,
our grandmother,
and drank the coffee strong
and ate the biscuits toasted in a pan,
mine with sorghum molasses.

We thought ourselves civilized
for the late hour of eight.