Reading - Poem (Did I Miss Anything?)

Did I Miss Anything?

Question frequently asked by students after missing a class

Nothing. When we realised you weren’t here

we sat with our hands folded on our desks

in silence, for the full two hours

Everything. I gave an exam worth

40 percent of the grade for this term

and assigned some reading due today

on which I’m about to hand out a quiz

worth 50 percent

Nothing. None of the content of this course

has value or meaning

Take as many days off as you like:

any activities we undertake as a class

I assure you will not matter either to you or me

and are without purpose

Everything. A few minutes after we began the last time

a shaft of light descended and an angel

or other heavenly being appeared

and revealed to us what each woman or man must do

to attain divine wisdom in this life and the hereafter

This is the last time the class will meet

before we disperse to bring this good news to all people

on earth

Nothing. When you are not present

how could something significant occur?

Everything. Contained in this classroom

is a microcosm of human existence

assembled for you to query and examine and ponder

This is not the only place such an opportunity has been

gathered

but it was one place

And you weren’t here

(Tom Wayman)

There are two ‘voices’ in the poem.

Who do you think it talking in the Nothing verses?

I think Nothing will be the Students.

Who do you think is talking in the Everything verses?

I think Everything will be a Teacher.

Choose 5 interesting words from this poem and explain what they mean.

• Revealed - Revealed means that unknown or secret information.
• Disperse - Disperse means that something is spretting out.
• Significant - Having a particular meaning
• Microcosm - Microcosm means a small group.
• Existence - Existence means that something that exist or alive.

Take ONE of the verses in the poem and illustrate it.

Verse one -

Find out 5 facts about the poet Tom Wayman.

1. He was born in 13th of August 1945 at Hawkesbury, Canada.
2. He has published 21 poetry.
3. He wrote a first poetry in 1973. (When he was 28 years old)
4. Wayman’s father was Pulp Mill chemist
5. He has written Poetry, Novels, Short Fiction, Anthologies and Criticism.

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For reading we read the poem about Did I Miss Anything? I learnt that this poem has written by Tom Wayman. I had fun doing this activity because question were quite hard and I need to illustrate the verse. For this learning I worked with Miki.