Sanjana Ramanathan

THE TRIAL OF ASPASIA

The folds of your peplos

like a doric column,

and your stature

just as sturdy.

The light of the pnyx

paints you

ivory,

Galatea white

before a man’s wish

gave her life.

Impiety

suits your complexion

much better:

the law cannot bend

your mind into prayer.

Aphrodite may

not grant you breath,

but your lips work

all the same.

Let them sculpt you

from lies —

at least your mind

will survive

when polymaths

and history tomes

turn every woman

back into stone.

Sanjana Ramanathan is an English student at Drexel University. She enjoys playing video games, cracking open a new book, and daydreaming. Her work has been published in clandestine lit, Horse Egg Literary, and elsewhere. You can find her on Twitter @sanjubilees.