My Uncle’s Favorite Coffee Shop

Throughout “My Uncle’s Favorite Coffee Shop,” water represents both aspects of the uncle’s culture. A malleable substance that takes on multiple forms—all of which are present in the poem—water conveys both the commonalities and differences between people and countries. As steam rising from the coffee cup in the first line, to the water glass full of ice, to the “iceless region” (Line 11) from which her uncle hailed from, water links all parts of the poem. Notably, the uncle crossed

Necessary for human life and survival, water also underscores Nye’s plea for a more empathetic, human understanding of all peoples, and emphasizes the absurdity of violence. After the uncle dies in the final stanza of the poem, the speaker describes “driving his parched streets” (Line 41), suggesting that his senseless death has drained not only his life, but that of the place she lives. The repercussions of this violence reach far, even across the “roaring ocean” (Line 15)

In the second stanza, Nye writes, “My uncle slid into his booth” (Line 8), subtly alluding to the uncle’s sense of habit, and his feeling of belonging, or ownership, for the booth in which he always sits. Like the comfort he gets from being “known personally by Barbara” (Line 2), the booth represents the safety and security he feels upon finding and developing a ritual.