The Three Ps: Poetry, Prophecy…Perhaps

I’ve been pondering on those rare moments of ‘unusual creative clarity’, and where they lead. 

In my experience they occur randomly: a phrase I overhear, a piece of art, an autumnal leaf, or a small child failing to get the octagon to go through the square hole, or laughter.

Like powerful seeds they penetrate…and often emerge as a poem. On a good day, I leave a poem overnight, and fuss over it the next day, until it ‘feels’ finished.

This wonderfully subjective world feels like slipping into ‘overdrive’ or ‘Sports Mode’ gear on my mythical Lamborghini. Or like a key change during a song. It moves me. Into joy or sorrow or deep thought. It connects emotionally. A different state of consciousness. An acceleration. Quite different from the joy of Chemistry (!), solving an equation, focussing on a microbe under a microscope…or even creating a colourful spreadsheet! 

But is this prophecy?

In the bible, Old and New Testaments prophets and prophecy are normal fare. Prophecy may be heavenly in origin and yet it intersects with us here on earth. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, comes to mind.

How do we distinguish between creative poetic insight and Holy Spirit-inspired prophecy? Is there a harsh delineation? Are many poets and songwriters prophets?

Prophecies in the bible are either written down, acted out, given as parables, or written and performed as songs. Many of David’s psalms are prophetic pointing to details of the crucifixion (e.g. Ps 22) but at the time how conscious was David that he was writing and singing Messianic prophecy? ‘David, being a prophet’ Acts 2v30

I’m going to propose something that is completely satisfactory and unsatisfactory at the same time! You just know. You just know when it’s the Holy Spirit giving you prophetic insight and you express it, nervously maybe, as a prophecy. On other occasions, however, a poem erupts from the soul within.

Paul said 'he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men…he who prophesies edifies the church’’ 1 Cor 14v3,4 but he also made the distinction between prophecy and poetry. When addressing the philosophers in Athens Paul stated, ‘as also some of your poets have said ‘For we are his offspring’’ Acts 17 v 28

John Venn, might have resolved The Three Ps with one of his famous Venn Diagrams, overlapping the prophetic and the poetic, but I wonder if this is true to life?