Hills Brothers Coffee

By Luci Tapahonso

My uncle is a small man
in Navajo we call him little father
my mother's brother

He doesn't know English but
his name in the white way is Tom Jim
He lives about a mile or so
down the road from our house

One morning he sat in the kitchen
drinking coffee
I just came over, he said,
the store is where I'm going to.

He tells me about how my mother seems to be gone
everytime he comes over.
Maybe she sees me coming
then runs and jumps in her car
and speeds away!
He says smiling.
We both laugh just to think of my mother
jumping in her car and speeding.

I pour him more coffee and
he spoons in sugar and cream until
it looks almost like a chocolate shake
then he sees the coffee can.
Oh, that's the coffee with
the man in the dress, like a church man.
Ah-h, that's the one that does it for me.
Very good coffee.

I sit down again and he tells me
some coffee has no kick but
this one in the one.
It does it good for me.

I pour us both a cup and
while we wait for my mother,
his eyes crinkle with the smile
and he says
yes, ah yes, this is the very one
(putting in more cream and sugar.)

So I usually buy Hills Brothers coffee
once or sometimes twice a day
I drink a hot coffee and
it sure does it for me.