Just because I drop a coin
into some liquid
doesn’t mean someone will die.

It’s not a wishing well.
I don’t need
to wish my father eternal peace.

It’s too late for that.
It’s a penny

accidentally tossed
into a mug
of hot coffee.

Just don’t swallow it.
Copper wedged in the throat
might wake the gods.

Zinc—if
minted after 1982—
might stir something else.