My hand slips off my cheek,
and my head nods forward and back up
with a strong, slender strand of something
extending from the corner of my mouth
to the knee of my jeans.
The professor that I'm paying to
educate me
is still using the same vocal pitch
that he was before I dozed off.
My lower back hurts, so I lean forward
in my chair and rest my elbows on my knees.
I've missed six slides and
at least twenty blanks in today's handout.
The girl next to me text messages.
A teacher is grading papers.
The two women in front of me pass notes.
The guy next to me still sleeps.
A strange environment indeed,
a lecturer and a hundred students
all passing time or trying
to learn.