Dirt in the mouth.
Each grain that grinds over
The tongue
Tastes oddly identifiable,
Each mineral familiar.

Pick oneself up and
Beat the dust from jeans.
Rub the dirt away and
Yet deeper into pores

Savor
Flecks of bone calcium and
Iron that dissolves,
Sticking to gums like blood,
Tannins of wine and
Earthy tea,
Charred granules of
Carbon burnt meat,

Copper, nitrogen, and manganese linger and
Slick the pearled teeth

Hands finely gloved
In dirt that sinks
Low into the furrows
Of grated palms.
Rubbing eyes with bits of aluminum and
Deposits of sulfur

My gaze starts where my feet are
Planted and
Jumps up to
Meet the horizon

I breath deep and
Run ahead with
Mud and spit and sun
Spackled across my face.