I've taught

teachers and businessmen and
children and old men and young men
and beautiful young ladies and rotten old cadavers
and young things still looking to crawl back into the womb.

I've taught
engineers and astrophysicists and
biotechnicians and professional runners
and singers and dancers and karaoke professionals
and artists and the artless and college students and the jobless.

I've taught
haughty geniuses and kind souls
part-time snowboarders and full-time drinkers
nervous cases and anorexics and obsessives and those
altogether disconnected with the outside world.

I've taught
the sleepless, the sleepy, and the dead asleep
the people bound for Brazil and Italy and Guam
Mothers and daughters and flower-shop owners
taxmen and saleswomen
deskclerks and flight attendants
housewives and gamblers
scientists and hostesses
winners and losers
kappa and cthulu,
and each one takes a chip, chip, chip.