Learning How to Fly

Dead air fills a room with life as the passengers begin their voyage.
This is not your typical airport; there is no souvenir store or fee to board,
And everyone's flying first class no matter what you can afford
Here Ahmed's and Mahmoud's don't get harassed by security,
One by one, they enter the waiting room,
The last receiving less blessings than the first.
I watch them; the air is damp with musk and ethnic incense
The ground is moist from fresh foot prints
It's my third flight of the day, in the late afternoon,
So many delays, but I just wanna get home soon
The sun is hanging, just danglining off the clouds
Not sure if he wants to come up, or go back down
Shadows bouncing off walls like a ball in rebound
Anticipating, just waiting to get this flight off the ground
Bags are checked, tagged and set
The flight attendant stands forth to make an announcement
"Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar"
The passengers mimic his words before he even finishes his sentence
It's like they knew what he was going to say before he even said them,
And now they begin to enter, two by two
Faces wet, with beards dripping, this is deja-vu
I thought I knew all those who flew
But some of these travellers are new,
Amongst the few, back in transition to a home they never knew
Yes it's true; flying can be scary with all that terror on the news
But just relax, cause with kushoo you will really enjoy the view
I keep checking on the clock, and the time is almost due
Nobody likes flying late; everybody's got things to do
But they are still entering and I am not sure how many more people can fit on this plane,
They move slowly bodies sore some lame resting on canes,
They are old. But for all the things they have forgotten they still remember how to fly.
Checking their passports, reciting lines they have already memorized,
Over and over again until it begins to hurt their eyes,
I am shy in their presence, a little boy sweeter than watermelons
And I wanna get high, learn to fly the way they do
Slow and steady, saying goodbye to this world even for a moment or two
I choose the altitude of the righteous and the true
And bear witness that there is no one more worthy the one I'm flying to
Ready to move, we are now boarding, and the first row's most important
To get closest to the pilot, there is a soft and gentle riot
Followed by a silence, as the flight attendant reminds us
Qad qāma tis-salaat, Qad qāma tis-salaat
Settle into my seat, I can feel my heart beat
The breeze from the cool air is fighting the summer's heat
We stand feet to feet, knees to knees
It's a tight flight when you flying Asiritual mustaqum
Stoow, your luggage under your seat,
Please turn off all cell phones and pagers or anything that might beep
In between the beats, I can hear myself breath,
Ready for take-off in 1.. 2.. 3, Allahu Akbar