You Know This Guy

He talked about the day of his graduation
as if it were only yesterday; as if he were
the only one ever to have accomplished
such a rare and astounding feat; as if
having done so automatically entitled him
to all the very best things that life
would ever have to offer.
…………………………………………When he spoke,
he spoke with a booming and assertive air;
the authoritative tone he thought
best befit his exalted, enlightened state,
even though in his most secret heart
he knew —as did everyone who heard him—
that every uttered syllable was
the merest and most shallow bluster.