People often misunderstand when I tell them that theology must be understood as a sort of poetry, thinking that this means I disrespect theology. They start babbling things about "poetics".

Poetics is a set of tricks used for light verse and advertising, which are also used in poetry, but only in the sense in which "a bird uses wings."

Poetry is the art practiced by Jesus, William Blake, numerous others, for the purpose of setting forth truth. It is the only method capable of properly dealing with theology.

A "Theologian" is a poet with its wings clipped.

Occasionally a theologian heals and becomes capable of really marvelous things (William Stringfellow, Jacques Ellul, etc).