I stood on a cliff
and thought about why it happened this way,
and who's hand I'd really taken.
I backed away
and when the wind pushed me forward,
the edge of my dress caught on a rock
and I didn't die that day,
so maybe all I'm grateful for is the truth:
death does exist within love,
and promises linger patiently
waiting for the wake.
Cover photo by Bernadetta Watts
Tetyana Denford is a Ukrainian-American historical fiction author, poet, and translator. Her first novel, Motherland, was longlisted for the Reader’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards and has been published globally to critical acclaim. Her writing has been published on Elle.com, Vogue, Medium, she is also the developmental editor for Blood Moon Poetry Press, an independent publishing company that publishes poetry by women.Tetyana also hosts TheCraft and Business of Books on YouTube— all about how to navigate the creative process of writing a book and understanding the publishing industry. She currently lives in New York with her husband and three children. www.tetyanadenford.com @tetyanawrites
