Alannah Murphy (Class of 2026) is pursuing a major in Media and Communication Studies and minors in Writing and Theology.
Sunscreen and sweat slide down his face.
Shaking hands hold up a camera.
Air so thick it could be cut with a knife.
“Just one more relic.”
The street curves upward.
Legs tremble, “not that much further.”
People, people, people closing in.
A thousand invading troops plunder.
The round, red, Roman sun beats down.
A city of a thousand hills, not seven.
Every bit unforgiving and selfish.
Yielding nothing unless proven worthy.
The skeleton of a city remains.
Deceiving frailty.
The city that remains below will drag its victims down.
The unconquerable city remains so.
Prey takes the form of tourists.
No longer soldiers.
Swords replaced by iPhones.
Chariots replaced by strollers.
A city never to be forgotten.
A city to crush visitors.
Crush its doubters.
Eternally alive.