My high school class reunion is on Saturday in Oak Valley, a town within the township where I grew up. I haven't been to a class reunion since my five year one, although I'm not entirely sure we've had another one since that one. I kind of think I was class president (or maybe vice-president?), so I probably should have helped plan one of these things, but alas, I moved out of town when I left for college and besides some way-too-long stays on college breaks, I haven't lived there since. And I haven't kept in touch with anyone from high school, at least until Facebook forced me to become reacquainted with my old classmates over the past year of reunion planning. Of course, I only live an hour away now (in the same state), and my parents still live in the same house and my sister lives a mile away from them and I'm home to visit enough that I don't exactly miss Deptford, but I thought it might be nice to see any old friends who are showing up for the reunion, even if I haven't seen many of them since graduation. I'm also kind of thinking what was I thinking, but we'll see. They all got together a couple times at Adelphia's recently for some pre-reunion "parties" that I couldn't make but that sounded fun. So it might be cool. I just hope there's those little nametags for everyone, because I'm pretty sure I won't recognize anyone. I saw the girl who organized the reunion at a Phillies game a couple weeks ago and she said I hadn't changed -- nor had she, but I'm not sure I would have recognized her if we didn't plan to meet. And we used to be really good friends in 9th grade, I think. I guess you move on, though, and forget. Even some of the people on Facebook who either graduated with me or a year before me... I don't recognize their names. Which is rather sad. But I don't know if that's unusual. I remember one of my teachers in high school said that we'd most likely lose touch with just about everyone from our class. I didn't believe him then -- I thought I'd at least stay close with a few of them -- but he was right. Not sure if any of my old friends ever read Vague Space, but perhaps. And perhaps they will enjoy this song from Iron & Wine's collection of B-sides, which seems so very, very appropriate for the occasion.
"The Trapeze Swinger"
Please, remember me happily
By the rosebush laughing
With bruises on my chin, the time when
We counted every black car passing
Your house beneath the hill
And up until someone caught us in the kitchen
With maps, a mountain range, a piggy bank
A vision too removed to mention
But please, remember me fondly
I heard from someone you're still pretty
And then they went on to say
That the pearly gates
Had some eloquent graffiti
Like "We'll meet again" and "Fuck the man"
And "Tell my mother not to worry"
And angels with their great handshakes
Were always done in such a hurry
