KM Kramer
Winter 2025 | Poetry
Full Circle
MEDUSA: Athena, why did you punish me when I needed your help?
ATHENA: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
MEDUSA: Soon after Neptune raped me in your temple, you found me, weeping, and became angry at me.
ATHENA: I said, I don’t know what you are talking about.
MEDUSA: Then why is my hair full of snakes?
ATHENA: I worry about your perception of reality, Medusa.
MEDUSA: OK, look at me.
ATHENA: [to MEDUSA, aloud] Why bother? [as aside] My heart already is made of stone.
“Medusa,” in collaboration with artist, Joanna Baker
KM Kramer is a writer, previously a First Amendment attorney, who feels most at home in California. She earned her undergraduate and law degrees at Stanford. Her creative works can be found or are forthcoming in Rogue Agent, Free the Verse, Last Stanza Poetry Journal, and many other places.
Joanna Baker is a biology and fine arts student at Stanford University, class of 2025. She grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and her art has previously been recognized in competitions such as the Georgia All-State Art Symposium. She is pursuing a degree capstone in science communication.