#131: My Most Popular Post

I posted on my blog a speech I gave at my 30th
high school reunion, and I wonder
why so many people are reading
this thing–way more
than the number who would have
attended this event and even way
more than the number of people
in my graduating class. I’m at a loss.
Maybe it’s just a decent speech that
people actually enjoy reading, but I like
to imagine now that my speech is
being reproduced around the country
and the speakers completely
cribbing my words are simply
replacing all the proper nouns
with appropriately specific ones
from their own community.
Or, perhaps, they’ve left the speech
completely intact, including
a claim that they now teach at
their alma mater, and,
bizarrely, a list of all the teachers
that have since shuffled
off this mortal coil, theirs
the same as ours.  And maybe
no one notices.  If I’m correct,
and not just full of myself,
I’m glad I could be of some help
to people trying to think of
things to say to their classmates,
people they haven’t seen for
30 years, sometimes for
good reason.  Sure, go ahead,
speak my speech, create some blank
spaces and fill them in.  All
the thanks I need is the spike
that occurs every once in
a while with my stats.
But if you’re feeling
especially generous,
maybe you could send a
photo from your reunion
of your long lost high school
buddies complimenting you
on your speech, my words
on your lips.