by Vanessa Hua April 2, 2020 Updated: April 2, 2020, 10:20 pm
Poet Tess Taylor questioned what it means to be creative, when every day feels like a radical reinvention of life.
“These days, helping myself and my family steer a way around sadness, anger, grief, loneliness, boredom or despair feels like its own art form. This emotional work of getting around and through takes time, even before the time of sitting to write, or dreaming of a poem,” said Taylor, author of the forthcoming “Rift Zone.”
Tess Taylor, author of “Rift Zone”Photo: Adrianne Mathiowetz
She still gets up early to work and think, but once her family is awake, she needs to be present for what’s happening to all of them. Her creativity manifests in getting low on the floor, building forts or a puppet theater, playing with crayons, and walking outside and identifying plants or planting the garden.
The other day, her 4-year-old daughter wanted to cut out paper hearts and march them in a line across a piece of cardboard. “We need this, Mom,” she said. “We need this heart parade.” “The truth is, what Emmeline needs, I need too — some release, some being together, some time to see the clouds or go on a scavenger hunt,” Taylor said.