That Dude DerridaBy Daniel Klawitter
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To pretend, I actually do the thing:
I have therefore only pretended
to pretend. —Derrida
***
Here comes that dude Derrida
And his daimon: Deconstruction.
He deconstructed so dreadfully
Some think it was mere destruction.
If the time for reason has ended
Many folks will say: “How splendid!”
But when coherence has been suspended
Then friends might be unfriended.
Though it’s mostly academics
Who engage in these polemics,
It remains an epidemic
Of postmodern calisthenics.
But I say trace the stories
From the beginning to the end.
And reject the allegories
Of the pretenders who condescend.
For there goes that dude Derrida
And his daimon: Deconstruction.
He died in France at 74,
But he lives on in post-production.
I have therefore only pretended
to pretend. —Derrida
***
Here comes that dude Derrida
And his daimon: Deconstruction.
He deconstructed so dreadfully
Some think it was mere destruction.
If the time for reason has ended
Many folks will say: “How splendid!”
But when coherence has been suspended
Then friends might be unfriended.
Though it’s mostly academics
Who engage in these polemics,
It remains an epidemic
Of postmodern calisthenics.
But I say trace the stories
From the beginning to the end.
And reject the allegories
Of the pretenders who condescend.
For there goes that dude Derrida
And his daimon: Deconstruction.
He died in France at 74,
But he lives on in post-production.
Among other things, Daniel Klawitter has been a union organizer and the lead singer/lyricist for the indie rock band Mining for Rain. His poems have appeared widely in journals and magazines in Australia, the UK, and the U.S. including: The Australia Times, The Galway Review, Plough Quarterly, and Think Journal. He is the author of six poetry collections and the winner of two Purple Dragonfly Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature.