Cergy, Soit!*

(This phrase is best understood in reference to the Bible where God says "Let there be light!" which in French is "Que la lumière soit!" So here, Cergy is basically being commanded into being, and since Cergy, Soit is the name of the festival, Cergy also refers to the aspects of the festival.)

 The Squams are straining on their leashes and I'm looking on in confusion, wondering if this is legal, asking Lisa, my companion for the day, what exactly is going on. We follow them out of curiosity, as do the rest of the people in the square, because we are all wondering who the Squams are, why they're on leashes, and who are the officers blowing at them on their whistles. This is Cergy, Soit! a free festival being held in Cergy for the weekend, and these are the Squams, incredibly talented actors, who very convincingly play the role of… Squams. Ape-like creatures who strain against their chains of captivity, and resist being put back into their cage, creatures who stare at the audience with wild eyes, looking at us out of curiosity, wondering what kind of creatures are we. Cergy? Soit! And so, Cergy was. A center for the arts for that weekend, showcasing talented acrobats, and actors, musicians, comedians, and what have you. And thankfully Lisa had learned of and invited me to the festival that took place on a gorgeous weekend in September. We ate baguette for lunch in a Cergy square, wondered about the presence of a group of people who wore red and white outfits that I endearingly nicknamed the coneheads because of their cone shaped hats. We sat on the grass and watched Dora the Explorer escape from her captive balloon existence and float off into the distant blue sky, to explore new lands. We assisted an incredibly strange marrionnette play in which the queen, justifying our quiet suspicions, turned out to be a man. We were party to a cabaret show in which an incredible comedian brought me to tears, and an incredible dancer passionately acted out the story of a heartbroken love. The people said "Cergy?" and Cergy said "Soit!" And thus the people were. The people were out in full force, living, laughing, playing, enjoying life, and we were there. As for the Squams? There was a sign on their cage that said don't feed them, so who knows what became of them? Let's hope the gamekeepers kept their best interests in mind. 9/26/12