In Petal, Christine Taylor uses a variety of poetic forms to evoke powerful emotions. Petal works through a lot of trauma, but it also shows how beautiful things can grow from wounds which are tended carefully.

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Lulled into a false sense of nostalgia, we are knocked sideways and dragged through that which lies only between evidence and experience. Showing you where it stings, still, beneath landscaped gardens and oversized T-shirts; Petal is a rumbling in the gut that blooms.
—Sophie Taylor, visual artist and writer

Petal pulls you under the blankets—hold the flashlight, we won't need it, but do bring the gin—at the end of a long night. Another workday, another lifetime of folding truths and toes alike into the expectations of someone who will never have to wear these shoes. Unzipped and braless, Christine Taylor lifts the corner and welcomes us in. It's just us now, she assures. Let us speak quietly of forgiveness. Let us admit we only believe in it for people who are not us. Let us tell each other we're afraid and watch it sit heavy in the silence. Let no one force optimism. Some things just need to be said.
—Katharine Blair

Christine Taylor demonstrates her mastery in a variety of poetic forms. Petal is a testament to resilience. After being wounded time and time again, we can still find joy in the little things: sunsets, flower petals, and Christmas trees. There is beauty in the world and in all of its imperfections. In Taylor’s words, there is hope, a reason to persevere.
—Charles K. Carter, author of Splinters