Gentlemen, Welcome To Dubai

In the first days there was no fear.

Sandstorms had come before,

The damage had been minimal,

This would be no different

But the storm did not stop

Whole days would pass without seeing the sun

We were told to remain clam,

That all was well

And like fools, we listened.

We sat silently as the first plane went down,

We watched calmly as sand stripped paint from our homes,

We waited patiently as our world fell down around us,

And how was our virtue repaid?

Abandonment.

We had toiled, keeping Dubai alive through the storm

But our bosses, owners, leaders…

Those who draped themselves with entitlement had fled the city

And with them, our hope for escape.

Then he came, without reason or reward

Konrad and his Dammed 33rd

We were not their families, and this was not their home

And still they cared for us.

We were gathered together, those who were left,

Us and our protectors

They led us away from our homes, believing all was well

Because a fool is quick to hope and slow to learn…

The storm came upon us without warning or mercy

I cannot tell you what happened,

All I saw was the storm,

All I heard was its roar

Somehow, we made it back to the city

To shelter away from those we left dead and buried by the storm.

Now, we are all refugees,

Us and the Damned

Our identities and ideals, stripped away by the storm, like flesh from the bone,

And with them,

Our hope for escape.

These are the last days,

Fear is all we know.