"What is, is most precious"

Her Animals, a collection of poems by Emily Johnston, seeks to explore what it means to think about our relationship with the planet and with ourselves.  She forces readers to confront difficult questions regarding our destruction of the environment through her use of vivid, authentic language.

A particular poem that caught my attention appears near the beginning of the text and reads: “Like a child emerging from the ocean of possibilities / between two people: / what is, is most precious. Begin there” (Johnston 17).  This poem reminded me of the Franciscan value of care for creation as is commanded in the book of Genesis with the following: “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.  Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground’” (The Woman’s Study Bible, Gen. 1.28).

While Johnston explicitly tells readers that she does not believe in a god, I still think correlations can be drawn between her poem and the verse from Genesis.  God created each thing that “is” and therefore, each living thing should be cared for.  Johnston is telling her readers to begin with what is most precious – “what is” – it we do not care for what is most precious, the destruction of the earth will continue its downward spiral.

I also thought her description of conception was quite unique – I had never heard “ocean of possibilities” used in context with childbearing before.  There are many possibilities when two people conceive a child together!

Johnston’s poetry is full of vivid descriptions of environmental destruction and the consequences of not taking care of the earth.  What do you think about my comparison between this poem and the verse from Genesis?  Do you agree?

Works Cited

Johnston, Emily. Her Animals. Seattle: Hummingbird Press, 2015.

The Woman’s Study Bible. New International Version, Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2012.