From Baghdad With Love.

A virtual message I sent to Palestinian singer Makadi Nahhas, here is a sampling of her voice for you to hear while you read this. Thank you Yazen for making this connection.

There you are, dignified and strong, colored by the love of Iraq, decorated by the beauty of Palestine, singing on behalf of millions of silenced mothers, touching the hearts of countless dehumanized brothers, reaching for the stars with every song that you unleash, more powerful than greed and evil killing machines, inspiring exiled lovers, setting the night on fire, bringing revolution to the mind, struggling with a sea of despair, and holding on to what's slipping away from beneath our feet.

These are difficult days, defined by millions of occupied minds, with their lives resting precariously on their shoulders, standing on top of wary mountaintops, watching the destruction of their homes, filled with memories, painted with culture, and built with the blood of their fathers.

Through your music, life breathes, a voice filled with hope, imagination, desperately brushing away the pain engraved in the words that you bring.

There you are, and here I am. Falling in and out of life, watching my days without Baghdad pass by like blurry roadside scenes reaching through a blood drenched window. But, with every medium molded by the magic of Makadi, there is another day.

Thank you.

Ahmed Habib