Tetiana Yatsechko-Blazhenko is a Ukrainian writer and visual artist. Her work has appeared in Eleventh Hour Literary, Corncrake Magazine, Sheepshead Review, Plants & Poetry Journal and Haunted Words Press. She is also a contributing author to several anthologies and collections, including Tidings (Anomaly Poetry), Men's Appreciation Anthology (Quillkeepers Press), KOLOS (Literary and Artistic Almanac), Whisper of Sisters (co-author), and Kryshtalynky. A Fairy Tale Winter 2025-2026 (co-author).

Tetiana Yatsechko-Blazhenko

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The Power of Solitude

My solitude is titanium armor,
protecting me from acidic stares
and questions that bring tears.
My solitude is the key to all locks,
it opens Pandora's box
and raises my pulse to critical levels.
My solitude is the first full stop
in relationships that breed gray hair
and trembling hands.
My solitude is my strength,
in cities of strangers
beneath statues of gods that are not mine.