Poetry Set in the Hearts of Men

God set eternity in the hearts of men, and a poem is an attempt to reach it.

The poet is a prophet whose writing
comes from Eternity. Proclaiming
truth for redemption; grace
for salvation. Judgement persuading
the heart to turn to God.

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Reading the Poem

Starry Night Over the Rhône by Vincent van Gogh, 1888.

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Inspiration

My personal poetry philosophy is summed up as follows:

God set eternity in the hearts of men, and a poem is an attempt to reach it.

I recently heard it said that writing comes from water or place, depending on who you ask. I’m not going to debate figurative water or literal place, but it did get me wondering, “Where does poetry come from?”

Poetry comes from eternity, because God set eternity in the hearts of men, and a poem is an attempt to reach it.

This means depth of the soul in simplicity, breadth of emotions in complexity, and height of imagination in mystery.

That’s poetic speak for, “Poetry captures the intangible in the real.”

An attempt to capture eternity in the life we get to live

Encouragement

Ecclesiastes 3:10–11 (NIV) says:

I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Every poem is a burden the poet didn’t know he had, until it flows out of him in the creative process, becoming beautiful in time.

We are eternal beings created in the Image of the Eternal Creator. Our earthly bodies won’t last, but our spirits will.

And so we long for eternity—even if the yearning comes out as art (redeemed or not).

Ultimately, the only way we can reach eternity is through Jesus.

And there is no attempt to reach eternity. There is only paid for and done.

We already have eternity, in Jesus’s name. He’s given us the keys, the truth, His grace.

Therefor we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 NIV