Wisps

Wave Your Flag

Around this time of year, three years ago, I was not sitting in a stuffy lunchroom, halfheartedly participating in a pale facsimile of "color war." I was dancing in formation with my friends, carefully choreographed to make the huge Israeli flags flutter and flash blue and white as we moved. Once the dance was over, we waited at the back of the auditorium as Y and his brother N (accompanied by E on guitar and his brother H on ukulele) filled the room with their angels' voices.

Give me freedom, give me fire, give me reason, take me higher

Give me the motivation I had then, the possibilities, the happiness.

See the champions take the field now, unify us, make us feel proud

Let me see my old friends again, with all their strengths and flaws.

Hands are lifting all around us, every nation, all around us

Doesn't everyone wish for the past? Let us take care not to destroy ourselves by living in memories and not looking ahead.

Singing forever young, singing songs all beneath the sun

I want to be young again. It's been only three years, but much has changed.

Let's all rejoice in the beautiful game, and together at the end of the day, we'll all sing

Life was a game. I knew I was happy, but I didn't know I wasn't about to get a whole lot happier from that point on.

"When I get older, I will be stronger"

I'm older, I'm stronger, I still have the heart and soul of a middle-schooler.

"They'll call me freedom, just like a waving flag"

Freedom. That's what I need. I'm trapped by my own independence, never trying anything new.

So wave your flag, wave your flag

I follow my fellow dancers back out to the stage, a crowd of elementary schoolers following us, mini-flags in their hands. We spread out into a line and encircle the stage, our Israeli flags held high.

I haven't seen Y in about six months. I wonder if his singing voice is still intact, or even recognizable.

Wave Your Flag -