Mineral Content

The plastic cup is flimsy in my hand.

I turn the tap and watch the water run

over the calcium crust, a white sand

built by a plumbing system long since done.

It tastes of pennies and a different dirt,

a metallic tang that tells me I’m away.

It’s cold enough to make my molars hurt,

but it doesn’t wash the travel-grime away.

It’s just a liquid from a foreign pipe.