Emerald and Ash
By Chantelle Flores
“Emerald and Ash” tackles a more serious facet of our changing relationship with nature, inspired by the emerald ash borer and art theories about the romanticization of environmental catastrophe. One can argue that art reflects new and impactful perspectives on nature, but we must also take into account the immense power we hold in how we reflect this world and how we react to our biases and perspectives. The emerald ash borer catastrophe itself is a consequence of our own international shipping and production strategies, and the emerald ash borer remains a beautiful minor pest in Asia but is seen only as a terrifying problem in the U.S. The emerald ash borer becomes equally a victim and consequence of our country’s immense power over production, but we all hold the power to engage in reflection and action. One such act of reflection is the act of artistic creation. How can we share new perspectives and engage with catastrophe through art, and how can we balance subjectivity with objectivity? Likewise, how can nature and its catastrophes translate into art and poetry, and can nature truly ever be translated?
You beautifully destructive being,
an Odysseus of ashen vessel,
our godless world has steered you astray
and left you as emerald pendant,
a cursed spectacle in our hands.
You consume the innermost of all
you esteem as your Eden,
and your fragile body paves
trails sinking into scarred imprints.
Yet we peel back the bark
and commonly consider catastrophe
an intractable blank canvas,
but in reality you remain only
thin wings and encrusted scale,
sheltered shell and skeleton.