Did I Miss Anything ?
Question
frequently asked by
students
after missing a class
Nothing. When we realized 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 per cent of the grade for
this term
and assigned some reading due
today
on which I'm about to hand out
a quiz
worth 50 per cent
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 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 (1994), from The Astonishing Weight of the Dead