It's been a year,

It's been a year since we practiced several times to perfect the turn

It's been a year since we put on that uniform

That heavy, warm uniform

And walked the Fourth of July parade

as a marching band member

I still remember that day,

90 degree day and we wore uniforms equivalent to winter coats

we envied the marching band that wore shorts

while we wore long pants,

Sweat poured down our backs and down our faces

And our feet burned

We stepped of onto the street

The crowd of red, white, and blue surrounded us

We felt like celebrities while they cheered us on

It was moments like this that made us feel alive,

And made us understand that despite the heavy warm uniform,

And despite the several rehearsals and practices to make the perfect turn,

What we do matters to pull off a great performance