The students bring their favourite balloons
So I take out the intellectual darts
“They think they’re here for fun but soon
They will learn how theory breaks all hearts”
The first balloon I burst is “hope”
I have for that a dystopian dart
It shoots with a loud terrifying note
And the hope balloon it blows apart
Next up is the “innocence” balloon
For that the Freudian dart is best
It need not be shot but only shown
And the student herself will do the rest.
Then is the turn of the “culture” balloon
Big, bloated, boastful, a bully to be shot
For that a whole clip in my dart gun
Of postcolonial darts I have got.
Thus freed up from false hopes and dreams
The students are ready to face the reality
Inside my class no balloons are seen
For blowing balloons is my speciality
Better to be depressed than to be oppressed
Better to be awake than to be asleep
Freedom is scary but still to be possessed
Balloons are nice but darts we need.
Throw away balloons, and buy some darts
The world isn’t a playground but a battle field
I tell my students to harden their hearts
‘Literature is sweet’ is by theory repealed.
Photography by: by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash
