From Syracuse to Manhattan: Remembering 9/11

Athenian sunset on the evening of September 11, 2001 © David Gill

Many gathered on the Areopagos in Athens as the news from New York and Washington sank in. I watched the sunset from Philopappos and reflected on the comparison with the disaster at Syracuse during the Sicilian expedition. I tried to capture the moment in this poem, published by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.

My thoughts are with the American people on this tenth anniversary, and especially to all those who lost loved ones during the attacks.


From Syracuse to Manhattan

Whispered words
“It can’t be true”
“All of them?”
They gather below the sacred stones
And weep at the Sicilian news.

Ashen faces
“We can’t go on”
“What’s the point?”
Satellite dishes line the ancient streets
While orange flames lick the screen.

© David Gill