The Creation
By James Weldon Johnson
From God’s Trombones, © 1927 The Viking Press
What is the earliest memory of your childhood? Was it something terrible—a wound that hurt you then, and aches even now—a trauma that influenced your decisions from that day forward? Was there a cataclysm, an awakening event so powerful that it flooded your mind, knocked you off your feet, and washed you downstream, aware for the first time of the life-threatening dangers all about you beyond human control?
Or perhaps your earliest memory is not from trauma, but from something good, something surpassing all understanding. A wonder. The birth of a sibling. A litter of kittens. A favorite lullaby of your mother’s as she tucked you into bed. What flooded your soul so deeply in your childhood that it awakened you to life?
Wouldn’t it be lovely if our children and grandchildren could awaken, not to terror, not to war, but to wonder?
My earliest memories are a hodgepodge. They include burns on the hand and knocks on the head, but also stories, songs, and poems.
I was three years old on my father’s knee when I learned James Weldon Johnson’s poem, “The Creation.” How much I knew word-for-word I cannot say. But I loved this line the very best: “He hurled the world.” Rhyme, creativity, and power—the purposeful handiwork of God.
Before I could read, I knew there was an Artist—a mighty sculptor—who had pressed upon the earth to hollow the valleys out and bulge the mountains up. To this day, I write and sing of that sculptor.
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8 responses to “The Creation”
Appreciate very much your introductory words followed by your evocative recitation of Mr. Johnson’s poem. Am wanting to secure the entire collection from God’s Trombones. Thank you for sharing, Dr. Thompson.
Thank you, Karen. It took me about six hours to memorize the poem, but it was worth it. Now, if I’m ever asked to speak at a convention, I’ve got something cool I can do on the spur of the moment.
Oh my gosh, your reading of this poem was brilliant!! Loved the poem so much. So, so good. Amen!
Thanks, Anna. I made a couple tiny mistakes on the recitation—I skipped a few “ands” and turned sea into seas—but I’ll redo it eventually and get it perfect.
Beautiful, Troy 🧡
Thank you.
I listened with my eyes closed and watched the picture your words created like an artist with a paintbrush and paints! You brought it alive! Your reading was great! I needed to hear words spoken as you did reminding me of who is in charge.
Thanks for listening, Jan.
I tried to recite the poem in such a way that anyone who cared to memorize it could feel each of the twelve stanzas, learn them one by one, and then put them all together. I’d love it if kids memorized the whole poem.
My father, JMT, had an interesting teaching technique. He’d offer us kids $10 if we accomplished something big. Thirty chin-ups, for example. I never managed it, but my brother succeeded. One thousand sit-ups straight—we both did that. Ten bucks!
I copied my father’s example. One of my sons memorized the entire Declaration of Independence, word-for-word, and I rewarded him with $100.
“The Creation” is exactly the kind of poem a parent or grandparent might encourage a child to learn by placing a fat juicy carrot at the end. I hope this recording helps somebody savor the poetry in the deepest way.