Modern Masters

And Flying Airplanes ✈️

As I very patiently waited inside DFW Airport’s international terminal late yesterday afternoon (turned quickly evening by the way)… for over 2 hours! Just don’t fact-check my liberal choice of adjective here, I surely felt I tried ☺️

I spent bulk of that time waiting on my parents post their flight arrival, a smaller portion so prior. For if you know me or have read my earlier piece (conveniently embedded below, you’re welcome 🤓). One of my many exceptional personal traits is perpetual early arrival…for almost anything…excited, warranted or none of the above… 🙃

Falasteen 🇵🇸 Street Museum

During that observed & labored time-pass I can only craftily depict what I observed to be a pop-up musical adaptation… A seemingly synchronized symphony of (possibly…?) half a dozen highly trained acoustically booming crying babies. And no, my ears did not rejoice at their forceful ballade…

They’re here now for almost a fortnight (my parents, not the babies 🤓) for U.S. immigration purposes. I suppose you may look upon me as a side-time pro-bono immigration lawyer… What can I say? Am just multifaceted that way… I mostly contribute that to the Palestinian 🇵🇸 in me (which by the way is 100%, and coincidentally at that too, also 100% human)

And yes this is the world we live in. The world you make us subscribe to. One where I continue to have to validate I am good, I am human (not terrorist or animal). And with that, the fact that our men, women, children and babies do not deserve slaughter. And God/Allah knows… surely not for six months and counting… and not for any fabricated reason cited…

Somehow early on in life I was appointed guardian of this family (decreed primarily by Baba, the master of our household)

I spent a lot of summers applying (cannot recall when it started honestly) for the Green Card Lottery. Spoiler Alert: We never ever won. But diligently nonetheless, I would fill out and submit those five forms. One per each member of the family… Baba, Mama, Nahla (elder sister), Karim (younger brother) and of course moi (Naj)

I think honestly that’s when I grew disdain for the concept of lotteries, the general census of luck, victory by chance. Because my whole life (perhaps more so now) has only served to prove otherwise. The only way to make forward (upward) momentum is through sheer will, determination, discipline and doing. I suppose that’s why I try so hard… every single day… for as long as I could remember, and probably ever will…

I mention the (what you hopefully also perceive to be) comical story of those airport babies because in this world I have also mostly lost joy in them. Other people’s babies…children. I suppose it is because I only see ours in them. Suffering, bleeding, pleading and mostly dying 💔

On a somewhat cheerier Mary Poppins like vibe, I share with you my parents ♥️ So you may depict their imagery as I speak of them to you. Just be mindful these pictures are old (mostly 2016-ish) because travel these days is extremely taxing on them. For reference, Baba is 79 (as of January this year), Mama 69 (this coming September)

Mama and Baba 🇵🇸

My final words for tonight, if you haven’t already watched today’s UN Security Council, 9596th Meeting RE: The Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian Question, please do so 🙏

Shukran and good night.

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