Poetry Friday -- Did I Miss Anything?

My kids are finally back in school. We've survived late night anxiety attacks, first-day jitters and a band class snafu. I've finally got some reliable time for writing and SCBWI chores.

I have to admit, I get nostalgic for school this time of year. It's been years since I was a classroom teacher. There's nothing like taking in a classroom full of hopeful faces for the first time.

If you're back in the classroom, Poetry 180 is a great resource for upper middle and high school teachers. Billy Collins' project when he was U.S. Poet Laureate, the site features a poem for each day of the high school year.

I loved this selection (#13), because it's in the teacher's point of view. You've gotta love the hyperbole.

Did I Miss Anything?

Tom Wayman

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 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 last time

a shaft of light suddenly 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 the good news to all people

on earth.

Nothing. When you are not present

how could something significant occur?

(Secretly, don't we all want to believe that's true). Read the rest of the poem at Poetry 180.

Today's Poetry Friday host is Kelly Herold at Crossover. Kelly's also updating the hosting schedule at Big A, little a. (Think about volunteering to host -- it's fun).

Hope you're having a great Back to School, the kids are happy with the teachers and all you teachers are happy with your kids!

Writing Exercise: Literary Cross-Dressing

This Week’s Writing Exercise (Recommended for High School and Adult) Gender Bending Try rewriting one paragraph, or several stanzas of a poem, from an opposite sex point of view. What words and phrases change? Is the cadence of the voice different? Does your new narrator/speaker see or hear things that she missed before? It might lead you to some interesting discoveries. Here is a fun tool to help with your literary cross-dressing adventures. Try “Gender Genie” online. (This site came to me via a friend from children’s author Lisa Yee.) Submit a chunk of your short story, novel, or poem. The website will predict if the author is male or female. So…are you fooling anyone? Let me know. http://www.bookblog.net/gender/genie.html Next Week: Amok in the Catskills, The Mansion of the Soul